Gaël Romeo Kakuta Mambenga (born 21 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal.

[8] On 3 September 2009, it was announced by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber,[9] that Kakuta would be banned for four months and be fined €780,000 due to a breach of contract with his old club Lens in order to sign for Chelsea in the summer of 2007.

Chelsea believed "the sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offense and the financial penalty imposed".

[10] Chelsea appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who subsequently lifted the sanctions on the club and the player after ruling that Kakuta did not have a valid contract with Lens, and therefore could not have breached it.

In February 2009, Kakuta saw his progress come to a shuddering halt when he suffered a double ankle fracture in a friendly against the Glenn Hoddle Academy.

Kakuta missed six months returning to the team in August for a youth game against local side Queens Park Rangers.

Kakuta made his much anticipated Premier League debut during a home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 21 November 2009 as a substitute replacing Nicolas Anelka on the hour, impressing largely with his tricks, skills, pace and enthusiasm.

Carlo Ancelotti was not satisfied with the team's performance but was very positive about the French youth international: "We had no intensity and no concentration, it was a very bad game from us.

"[13] On 11 September 2010, he played his second Premier League game for Chelsea in a derby against West Ham United, coming on as a substitute for Nicolas Anelka in the 76th minute.

On 9 April 2011 he started the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, playing the full 90 minutes in attack alongside Bobby Zamora in a 2–0 defeat.

[23] On transfer deadline day, 31 August 2012 Kakuta joined Dutch club Vitesse on a season-long loan.

[27] He made his debut on 20 February, replacing Senad Lulić in the 68th minute of an eventual 1–0 home defeat to Ludogorets in the UEFA Europa League.

[28] Kakuta's only other appearance for Lazio was in Serie A on 9 March, coming on in place of Miroslav Klose for the last four minutes as the side again lost at home by the same score, this time against Atalanta.

[31] He made his debut in the competition on 25 August, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 home draw against Atlético Madrid.

On 10 July 2017, Ligue 1 side Amiens announced that Kakuta signed a four-year deal with the club on a free transfer.

[38] Following the end of his loan spell at Amiens, Kakuta was purchased by Rayo Vallecano on 13 July 2018, signing a four-year contract.

[40] On 15 February 2020, Kakuta scored a stunning goal and recorded two assists in a Ligue 1 match against Paris Saint-Germain, which ended 4-4.

[52] In qualification for the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Kakuta scored a goal in the team's 6–0 thrashing of Albania in the first qualifying round.

[53][54] In the Elite Round, he was clinical in the team's final group stage match against Russia scoring a double in a much-needed 3–1 victory.

[60][61] Despite the FIFA investigation into his transfer, on 2 September 2009, Kakuta was selected to the under-19 squad, for the first time, to participate in the 2009 edition of the Sendaï Cup, held in Japan.

[63] In the final, France came from behind against Spain to win the title 2–1 with Kakuta providing the assist for the winner scored by Alexandre Lacazette.

[65] Due to France's victory at the UEFA Under-19 championship, the nation qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which merited under-20 team appearances for Kakuta.

[66] Kakuta, subsequently, appeared in three more matches with the team during the 2010–11 campaign and, on 10 June 2011, was named to the 21-man squad to participate in the U-20 World Cup.

[70] In October 2014, fraudster Medi Abalimba was jailed for four years after masquerading as Kakuta and spending thousands of pounds on stolen credit cards.