Kevin Kampl

Kevin Kampl

Kampl with RB Leipzig in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth	(1990-10-09) 9 October 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Solingen, Germany
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	RB Leipzig
Number	44
Youth career
1994–1997	VfB Solingen
1997–2009	Bayer Leverkusen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2011	Bayer Leverkusen II	36	(5)
2010–2011	Bayer Leverkusen	0	(0)
2010	→ Greuther Fürth (loan)	1	(0)
2010	→ Greuther Fürth II (loan)	7	(0)
2011–2012	VfL Osnabrück	35	(2)
2012	VfR Aalen	3	(2)
2012–2014	Red Bull Salzburg	74	(18)
2015	Borussia Dortmund	14	(0)
2015–2017	Bayer Leverkusen	53	(4)
2017–	RB Leipzig	180	(9)
International career
2009	Slovenia U20	1	(0)
2009–2012	Slovenia U21	17	(1)
2012–2018	Slovenia	28	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 November 2024

Kevin Kampl (born 9 October 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. Born in Germany, he has represented the Slovenia national team at international level. Besides Germany, he has played in Austria. ^[2]

Early life

Kampl was born in Solingen, Germany. ^[3] His parents moved to Germany from Maribor, a city near the Austrian border in northeastern Slovenia. ^[4] Kampl has dual citizenship and could have played for Germany, but opted for Slovenia early on.

Club career

Kampl with Salzburg in 2014

Early career

Kampl began his career with Bayer Leverkusen. After some years in the youth team of Bayer Leverkusen II, he signed for SpVgg Greuther Fürth.

On 30 August 2010, he signed a one-season loan contract with SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Kampl made his first team debut on 29 October 2010 as a late substitute in a 2. Bundesliga tie with Erzgebirge Aue. ^[5] After only half a season for Greuther Fürth, he returned to Bayer Leverkusen during the 2010–11 winter transfer window. ^[6] Kampl made his Leverkusen 2010–11 season debut as a second-half substitute in the UEFA Europa League game against Metalist Kharkiv.

In the summer of 2011, Kampl transferred to 3. Liga side VfL Osnabrück. ^[7] After having played a great season for Osnabrück, he joined newly promoted 2. Bundesliga club VfR Aalen for a transfer fee of €250,000. However, he played only four matches for Aalen, scoring two goals and assisting another three.

This marvelous start drew the attention of well-financed Austrian champion Red Bull Salzburg and they acquired him just before the end of the transfer window by fulfilling his release clause in the amount of €3 million. ^[8] He was nominated for the best player of the Austrian Bundesliga at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, but had to eventually concede to Philipp Hosiner.

Borussia Dortmund

Kampl with Borussia Dortmund in 2015

On 22 December 2014, it was announced that he would join Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract for a €12 million fee on 1 January 2015. ^[9] He was originally going to RB Leipzig. ^[3] He made his debut on 31 January 2015. ^[10] On 28 April 2015, in the DFB-Pokal semi–final against Bayern Munich, Kampl came on in the 83rd minute for Jakub Błaszczykowski and was sent–off after receiving a second yellow card; Dortmund went through to the final via a penalty shoot-out. ^[11]

Bayer Leverkusen

On 28 August 2015, Kampl returned to Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year deal. ^[12] He made his debut on 12 September 2015 versus SV Darmstadt 98. On 26 September, Kampl scored his first goal for Leverkusen in a 3–0 away win against Werder Bremen. Later, on 20 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 4–4 home group stage draw against Roma.

RB Leipzig

On 31 August 2017, Kampl joined RB Leipzig on a four-year contract for a transfer fee of €20 million. ^[13] He made his debut for the club on 8 September 2017, setting up Timo Werner's second goal in a 2–0 win away at Hamburger SV. ^[14] Five days later, he was part of the club's first ever starting eleven in the UEFA Champions League, a 1–1 draw with AS Monaco. ^[14]

On 20 September 2018, Kampl captained Leipzig for the first time in a UEFA Europa League match against his former club Salzburg. ^[14]

Kampl was part of the Leipzig team that made four DFB-Pokal finals in five years between 2019 and 2023, lifting the trophy in 2022 and 2023. ^[14] Along with Willi Orban, Lukas Klostermann, Emil Forsberg, Konrad Laimer, Amadou Haidara and Marcel Halstenberg, he was one of seven players to have featured in all four of the club’s finals. ^[14]

On 19 October 2023, Kampl extended his contract with RB Leipzig until June 2026. ^{[14] [15]}

International career

Kampl made his senior debut for Slovenia on 12 October 2012, starting in a 2–0 away win against Cyprus. ^[16] He scored his first goal on 6 September 2013 against Albania, which Slovenia won 1–0. ^[17] Kampl scored his second goal in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against San Marino, the second of their 6–0 win. In October 2016, the Slovenian squad released a statement "condemning Kampl's absence from both games." ^[18] In response, Kampl stated "Firstly, I always play with pride and happiness for Slovenia and I intend to do so in the future, and secondly, I have made it clear I will be available next time, I just need some rest now." ^[18]

Kampl retired from the national team in late 2018 for personal reasons. ^{[19] [20]} He earned 28 caps and scored 2 goals. ^[16]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 5 November 2024 ^[21]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bayer Leverkusen II	2008–09	Regionalliga West	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2009–10	Regionalliga West	21	1	—		—		—		21	1
	2010–11	Regionalliga West	14	4	—		—		—		14	4
	Total		36	5	—		—		—		36	5
Greuther Fürth	2010–11	2. Bundesliga	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Greuther Fürth II	2010–11	Regionalliga Süd	7	0	—		—		—		7	0
Bayer Leverkusen	2010–11	Bundesliga	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	—		1	0
VfL Osnabrück	2011–12	3. Liga	35	2	1	0	—		—		36	2
VfR Aalen	2012–13	2. Bundesliga	3	2	1	0	—		—		4	2
Red Bull Salzburg	2012–13	Austrian Bundesliga	23	4	4	0	0	0	—		27	4
	2013–14	Austrian Bundesliga	33	9	5	2	13 [lower-alpha 3]	3	—		51	14
	2014–15	Austrian Bundesliga	18	5	3	2	10 [lower-alpha 4]	4	—		31	11
	Total		74	18	12	4	23	7	—		109	29
Borussia Dortmund	2014–15	Bundesliga	13	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 5]	0	—		16	0
	2015–16	Bundesliga	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	—		3	0
	Total		14	0	2	0	3	0	—		19	0
Bayer Leverkusen	2015–16	Bundesliga	22	3	3	0	6 [lower-alpha 5]	1	—		31	4
	2016–17	Bundesliga	30	1	2	0	7 [lower-alpha 5]	1	—		39	2
	2017–18	Bundesliga	1	0	1	0	0	0	—		2	0
	Total		53	4	6	0	13	2	—		72	6
RB Leipzig	2017–18	Bundesliga	26	1	1	0	10 [lower-alpha 6]	0	—		37	1
	2018–19	Bundesliga	27	2	5	0	8 [lower-alpha 2]	1	—		40	3
	2019–20	Bundesliga	11	2	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 5]	0	—		15	2
	2020–21	Bundesliga	27	0	5	0	7 [lower-alpha 5]	0	—		39	0
	2021–22	Bundesliga	27	0	5	0	8 [lower-alpha 7]	0	—		40	0
	2022–23	Bundesliga	30	2	4	0	5 [lower-alpha 5]	0	1 [lower-alpha 8]	0	40	2
	2023–24	Bundesliga	26	1	2	0	7 [lower-alpha 5]	0	0	0	35	1
	2024–25	Bundesliga	6	1	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 5]	0	—		10	1
	Total		180	9	24	0	51	1	1	0	256	10
Career total			403	40	46	4	91	10	1	0	541	54

1. Includes DFB-Pokal, Austrian Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, eleven appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League
4. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and four goals in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
6. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
7. Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
8. Appearance in DFL-Supercup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year ^[16]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Slovenia	2012	3	0
	2013	6	1
	2014	5	0
	2015	7	1
	2016	3	0
	2017	1	0
	2018	3	0
Total		28	2

Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kampl goal. ^[16]

List of international goals scored by Kevin Kampl

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 September 2013	Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia	6	Albania	1–0	1–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	27 March 2015	Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia	15	San Marino	2–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification

Honours

Red Bull Salzburg

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2013–14
• Austrian Cup: 2013–14

RB Leipzig

• DFB-Pokal: 2021–22, ^[22] 2022–23 ^[23]
• DFL-Supercup: 2023 ^[24]

Individual

• Slovenian Footballer of the Year: 2013, 2014
• Kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2015–16 ^[25]

See also

• Slovenian international players

References

1. "Kevin Kampl". RB Leipzig. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
2. Viškovič, Rok (21 October 2017). "Kevin Kampl in njegova ura sprave s slovensko javnostjo" (in Slovenian). Siol . Retrieved 23 June 2022.
3. Kneer, Christof (24 December 2014). "Ribéry aus Salzburg". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 24 March 2015.
4. Matej Rijavec (10 October 2012). "Kampl: Treniram, o drugem pa odloča selektor" [I train, everything else its up to the national team manager] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija.
5. "Kern: Eine Aktion, drei Punkte für Aue" (in German). kicker. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
6. "Stocksauer auf den Schiedsrichter" [Very angry at the referee] (in German). Nürnberger Zeitung. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
7. "Erstes Training, weitere Verpflichtungen" [First training, more signings] (in German). VfL Osnabrück. 19 June 2011. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
8. "Paukenschlag! Kampl geht – Aydemir kommt" [Sensation! Kampl leaves - Aydemir arrives] (in German). kicker.de. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
9. Hennecke, Thomas (22 December 2014). "Dortmund verpflichtet Kampl". kicker (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2014.
10. Wöckener, Lutz (31 January 2015). "Dortmund startet mit Punktlandung auf Platz 18" (in German). Die Welt. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
11. "Bayern Mun 1 1 Bor Dortmd". BBC Sport. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
12. "Kampl-Rückkehr zu Bayer ist fix". kicker (in German). 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
13. R. K. (31 August 2017). "Rekord: Kampl za 20 milijonov evrov v Leipzig in Ligo prvakov" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija . Retrieved 31 August 2017.
14. "Kampl inks two-year contract extension". RB Leipzig. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
15. "Kevin Kampl extends contracts with RB Leipzig until 2026". One Football. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
16. "Kevin Kampl". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia . Retrieved 2 November 2019.
17. "Slovenia 1–0 Albania". FIFA. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
18. "Kevin Kampl branded a 'deserter' by teammates after withdrawing from qualifiers". Deutsche Welle. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
19. "Kevin Kampl ne bo prekinil reprezentančne upokojitve". Večer (in Slovenian). 24 January 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
20. Uredništvo (8 November 2018). "Kevin Kampl nikoli več za Slovenijo!". nogomania.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2 November 2019.
21. "Kevin Kampl » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
22. Peeters, Thomas (23 May 2022). "A thriller in Berlin: how relentless RB Leipzig won their first major title". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
23. "Christopher Nkunku-inspired RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt to win DFB Cup". Bundesliga. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
24. Lisjak, Mitja (12 August 2023). "Olmo s hat-trickom pokvaril veliki debi Kana pri Bayernu" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija . Retrieved 12 August 2023.
25. "Vier Klubs vertreten: Die kicker-Elf des Jahres (2015/16)". kicker.de (in German). 20 May 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2022.

External links

• Kevin Kampl at kicker.de (in German)
• Kevin Kampl at Soccerway.com
• Kevin Kampl at WorldFootball.net
• Kevin Kampl at National-Football-Teams.com
• Kevin Kampl at FBref.com
• Kevin Kampl at the German Football Association