Lyle Brent Foster (born 3 September 2000) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo on loan from Burnley and the South Africa national team.
Club career Foster was promoted to the Orlando Pirates' first team for the 2017–18 season. On 15 September 2017, he made his professional debut against Maritzburg United. On 22 January 2018, he scored his first goal for Orlando Pirates in a 1–1 draw against Polokwane City.
He signed for Monaco in January 2019 on a deal until June 2023, where he would begin on the reserve team.
On 30 August 2019, Foster joined Monaco's feeder club Cercle Brugge in Belgium on a season-long loan.
On 13 August 2020, Foster joined Vitória de Guimarães for a transfer fee of 1.2 million euro. In 2021, he joined Westerlo on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy.
In the summer of 2022, Foster moved to Westerlo on a permanent basis and signed a four-year contract with the club.
In January 2023, Foster signed for EFL Championship club Burnley on a four-and-a-half-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Westerlo was reported as €7 million, a record for a South African player, which rose to €10 million after the Clarets guaranteed promotion to the Premier League.
On 26 October 2023, Foster signed a new five-year contract with Burnley. In November 2023, he was ruled out for an indefinite period following the reoccurrence of a mental health issue. He made his return after a two-month break when Burnley faced Everton, and went on to score in their final fixture of the year against Aston Villa. Following his return, Foster regained his place in the Burnley squad and continued to feature regularly for the club. He later spoke about the support he received from Burnley during his absence, saying that the club helped him through a difficult period and allowed him time to recover before returning to football.
On 3 September 2026, Foster joined Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo on loan until the end of June 2027, with an option to make the transfer permanent.
International career On 1 December 2025, Foster was called up to the South Africa squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
On 28 May 2026, he was selected by manager Hugo Broos to represent his nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Personal life Foster was born in Soweto in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality on 3 September 2000.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsOrlando Pirates2017–18South African Premiership91200000111Monaco II2018–19Championnat National 283———83Monaco2018–19Ligue 100000000002019–20Ligue 120———20Total2000000020Cercle Brugge (loan)2019–20Belgian Pro League18110——191Vitória de Guimarães B2020–21Campeonato de Portugal40———40Vitória de Guimarães2020–21Primeira Liga501010—70Westerlo (loan)2021–22Belgian First Division B23431——265Westerlo2022–23Belgian Pro League21800——218Burnley2022–23Championship11140——1512023–24Premier League2451010—2652024–25Championship2822110—3132025–26Premier League2631000—273Total89118120—9912Houston Dynamo (loan)2026Major League Soccer10———10Career total18028152300019830
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSouth Africa202020202110202231202353202442202594202661Total3011
South Africa score listed first, score column indicates score after each Foster goal
+List of international goals scored by Lyle FosterNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition19 June 2022Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco61–01–22023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification224 March 2023Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa71–02–22023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification32–0412 September 2023Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa91–01–0Friendly56 September 2024Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa131–02–22025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification611 October 2024Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, South Africa154–05–02025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification725 March 2025Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast171–02–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification85 September 2025Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa182–03–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification922 December 2025Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco222–12–12025 Africa Cup of Nations1029 December 2025Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco242–13–22025 Africa Cup of Nations11 6 June 2026 Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca, Mexico29 1–0 1–1 Friendly
Honours Westerlo Belgian First Division B: 2021–22
Burnley EFL Championship: 2022–23; runner–up: 2024–25
South Africa U20 COSAFA U-20 Cup: 2017
References