Gaël Kakuta retires: five memorable moments

At 35 years old, the left-footer trained at Lens has chosen to close the door on seventeen years of professional football. “There comes a time when you have to know how to listen to time and accept that every season has an end,” he wrote on Instagram. Let's look back at five stages that tell the story of his career.

2007: the big leap to Chelsea

Considered one of the major talents of his generation at the RC Lens youth academy, Kakuta joined Chelsea at 16. The move to England put him in the spotlight very early. He made his first-team debut in 2009 but failed to secure a lasting place in a squad full of internationals.

His time in London began a long sequence of loans, notably to Fulham, Bolton, Dijon, Vitesse Arnhem, and Lazio. These experiences gave him playing time, but did not yet provide the stability needed to fully express his creativity.

2014-2015: his talent explodes at Rayo Vallecano

The loan to Rayo Vallecano marked a real turning point. In a team oriented toward attacking football, Kakuta found an environment suited to his skills between the lines: dribbling, final pass, and the ability to eliminate opponents in tight spaces.

His 2014-2015 season remains his most convincing spell in Spain. His return to Rayo in 2018-2019 was more discreet and should not be confused with this earlier success. It was truly the first stay in Madrid that boosted his value on the European market.

Amiens: three stints and real continuity

Kakuta joined Amiens for the first time in 2017-2018 and helped the club stay up in their first year in Ligue 1. He returned in 2019-2020, then a third time from 2022. In total, he played 106 matches in all competitions for the Picard club, scoring 20 goals and providing 15 assists.

The 2019-2020 season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Amiens was relegated after the Ligue's decision to end the season on a points-per-game basis, rather than an administrative relegation. Despite this context, Kakuta remained the team's playmaker and confirmed his attachment to the club.

2020-2021: return to Lens and Marc-Vivien Foé Award

Returning to RC Lens gave Kakuta the best season of his Ligue 1 career. Under Franck Haise, he became the main creator for a promoted side that surprised the league. In 35 Ligue 1 matches, he scored 11 goals and provided five assists.

These performances earned him the 2021 Marc-Vivien Foé Award, given to the best African player in Ligue 1. Lens then exercised its option to buy on May 26, 2021. The sum of five million euros sometimes mentioned is not confirmed here due to insufficiently solid official confirmation.

2026: the World Cup with DR Congo before retirement

European U19 champion with France, Kakuta later chose to represent DR Congo at senior level. He made his debut on March 26, 2017 against Kenya, scoring from a free kick in his first match.

His last major international chapter was historic: the Leopards returned to the World Cup in 2026, fifty-two years after their previous appearance. Kakuta did not play a minute in the tournament: FIFA's four match sheets listed him as an unused substitute. He was part of the squad eliminated 2-1 by England on July 1 in the round of 16.

Three days later, he announced the end of his career. His journey did not follow a straight line, but his best seasons confirmed his rare technical talent and a special place in the recent history of Lens, Amiens, and DR Congo.