Gaël Kakuta

Gaël Kakuta
Kakuta with Lens in 2020
Personal information
Full name Gaël Romeo Kakuta Mambenga
Date of birth (1991-06-21) 21 June 1991
Place of birth Lille, France
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
AEL
Number 5
Youth career
1998–1999 US Lille-Moulins
1999–2007 Lens
2007–2009 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2015 Chelsea 6 (0)
2011Fulham (loan) 7 (1)
2011–2012Bolton Wanderers (loan) 4 (0)
2012Dijon (loan) 14 (4)
2012–2014Vitesse (loan) 34 (2)
2014Lazio (loan) 1 (0)
2014–2015Rayo Vallecano (loan) 35 (5)
2015–2016 Sevilla 2 (0)
2016–2018 Hebei China Fortune 24 (2)
2017Deportivo La Coruña (loan) 10 (2)
2017–2018Amiens (loan) 36 (6)
2018–2019 Rayo Vallecano 12 (1)
2019–2021 Amiens 24 (2)
2020–2021Lens (loan) 35 (11)
2021–2022 Lens 31 (3)
2022–2024 Amiens 43 (10)
2024–2025 Esteghlal 13 (0)
2025–2026 Sakaryaspor 28 (9)
2026– AEL 1 (0)
International career
2006–2007 France U16 12 (5)
2007–2008 France U17 14 (3)
2008–2009 France U18 5 (3)
2009–2010 France U19 13 (4)
2010–2011 France U20 11 (2)
2011–2013 France U21 18 (6)
2017– DR Congo 30 (5)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2010
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Runner-up 2008
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 February 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 January 2026

Gaël Romeo Kakuta Mambenga (born 21 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Greek Super League club AEL. Born in France, he represents the DR Congo national team.

A youth product of RC Lens, Kakuta moved to Chelsea in 2007 in a controversial transfer. Rarely used at Chelsea, he was loaned to six teams in five countries before leaving for Sevilla upon the expiration of his contract in 2015.

He was a French youth international and represented the nation at every age group from under-16 to under-21 levels, before switching allegiance to the DR Congo national team in 2017.