Youri Tielemans

Youri Tielemans
Tielemans with Belgium in 2019
Personal information
Full name Youri Marion A. Tielemans[1]
Date of birth (1997-05-07) 7 May 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Aston Villa
Number 8
Youth career
2002–2013 Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Anderlecht 139 (26)
2017–2019 Monaco 47 (5)
2019 → Leicester City (loan) 13 (3)
2019–2023 Leicester City 138 (18)
2023– Aston Villa 41 (2)
International career‡
2012–2013 Belgium U15 4 (2)
2012–2013 Belgium U16 10 (8)
2013–2016 Belgium U21 14 (6)
2016– Belgium 74 (9)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Belgium
FIFA World Cup
Third place 2018
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:46, 27 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:34, 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Youri Marion A. Tielemans (born 7 May 1997) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Belgium national team.

Tielemans began his career at Anderlecht, where he made 185 official appearances and scored 35 goals across four seasons. He won the league title twice and in 2017 was chosen as the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year. He is the youngest Belgian to play in the UEFA Champions League, making his debut in the competition at the age of 16 years and 148 days. After two years at Monaco in Ligue 1, he joined Leicester City in 2019, initially on loan and then for an estimated fee of £32 million. He played 195 total games and scored 28 goals, including the only goal of the 2021 FA Cup final. In 2023, when his contract expired, he joined Aston Villa.

Tielemans represented Belgium at several youth levels and before gaining his first cap for the national team in November 2016, aged 19. He was part of the squad that came third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, also featuring at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.

Club career

[edit]

Anderlecht

[edit]
Tielemans playing for Anderlecht in 2016

Tielemans is a youth product of Anderlecht and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of 16.[4]

On 21 July 2013, he was included in the senior squad for the first time, remaining an unused substitute in the 1–0 win over Genk in the 2013 Belgian Super Cup. On 28 July 2013, he made his first-team debut in the opening round of the Belgian Pro League season against Lokeren, replacing injured Sacha Kljestan after 25 minutes of a 2–3 home loss.[5][6] This made him the fourth-youngest player in the league's history.[7]

On 2 October 2013, he became the youngest Belgian player to play in the UEFA Champions League, starting in a match against Olympiacos at the age of 16 years and 148 days.[8] He played 29 games – of which 21 starts – as Anderlecht won the 2013–14 Belgian Pro League, scoring to open a 3–0 win over Club Brugge at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on 6 April 2014, a game in which he also assisted Cyriac.[9] Tielemans won the Belgian Young Player of the Year award in each of his first two seasons.[7]

Tielemans scored 13 times in 37 Belgian First Division A matches as Anderlecht won the 2016–17 Belgian First Division A. He won the 2017 Ebony Shoe Award for best player of African origin,[10] and was named 2016–17 Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year.[11] He scored 5 goals in 15 2016–17 UEFA Europa League matches, with his club reaching the quarter-finals, and was selected in its Squad of the Season.[12]

Monaco

[edit]

On 24 May 2017, Tielemans joined 2016–17 Ligue 1 champions Monaco on a five-year deal for a fee of around €25 million.[13] He made his competitive debut on 29 July in the Trophée des Champions at the Grand Stade de Tanger, playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain and assisting Djibril Sidibé's opening goal.[14] On 4 August, Tielemans made his Ligue 1 debut in the 3–2 home win over Toulouse, coming on as a substitute for Radamel Falcao in the 87th minute. He made his UEFA club competition debut for Monaco on 13 September in the UEFA Champions League group match away to RB Leipzig, playing the full 90 minutes and registering his first competitive goal for Monaco by equalizing in a 1–1 draw. On 16 September, Tielemans made his first Ligue 1 start and played the entire match in the 3–0 home win over Strasbourg, after having played a total of 56 minutes as a substitute in his first four Ligue 1 matches.[15][16]

France Football named Tielemans in their lists of the biggest flops of the first half of the season and the season overall.[17][18] He scored his first Ligue 1 goal in his 31st game on 2 September 2018, in a 3–2 home loss to Marseille.[19]

Leicester City

[edit]
Tielemans playing for Leicester City in 2021

On 31 January 2019, Tielemans joined Premier League club Leicester City on loan until the end of the season, with Adrien Silva going the other way in a swap deal.[20][21] On 9 March, Tielemans scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Fulham.[22]

Tielemans completed a permanent move to Leicester City on 8 July 2019, on a four-year deal for an estimated fee of £32 million.[23] He scored in a 3–1 home win over Bournemouth on 31 August, but courted controversy with a high challenge on Callum Wilson that escaped punishment even after consultation with the video assistant referee;[24] referees' chief Mike Riley ruled that this was an incorrect decision and Tielemans should have been sent off.[25]

On 15 May 2021, Tielemans scored the only goal of the 2021 FA Cup Final with a long-range strike against Chelsea in the 63rd minute, sealing Leicester's first ever FA Cup title.[26] He was named the man of the match.[27]

Aston Villa

[edit]

On 10 June 2023, Premier League club Aston Villa announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Tielemans on a free transfer, upon the expiry of his Leicester City contract on 1 July.[28] He made his debut on 12 August in the season opener, a 5–1 loss at Newcastle United, in which he replaced the injured Leon Bailey at half time.[29]

On 26 October 2023, Tielemans scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a 4–1 away UEFA Europa Conference League victory over AZ Alkmaar.[30]

International career

[edit]

In June 2015, Tielemans was called up to the senior Belgium squad for a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Wales.[31] He finally made his senior international debut on 9 November 2016, in a 1–1 friendly away draw to rival Netherlands, replacing Steven Defour in the 82nd minute.[32]

Tielemans was included in manager Roberto Martínez's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[33] He played four matches in the tournament, including the 2–0 win over England in the third-place match.[34]

Tielemans scored his first senior goal for Belgium on 21 March 2019, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match against Russia.[35] He was called up for the delayed final tournament in May 2021,[36] and for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[37] At the latter tournament, he was substituted at half time for Amadou Onana as the team struggled to a 1–0 win over Canada in their opening match.[38] He was a substitute in the two other games of the group stage elimination, in which Onana and then Leander Dendoncker started alongside Axel Witsel.[39][40]

Style of play

[edit]

Tielemans began as a holding midfielder, but was moved by Anderlecht manager Besnik Hasi to a more attacking role, where he scored long-range goals and was compared to Frank Lampard and Axel Witsel.[7] A 2015 profile by Sky Sports noted his versatility as a defensive or attacking midfielder, concluding that his pace, passing and shot power suited the latter role better.[7] Paul Van Himst, a former Anderlecht and Belgium player, noted at the same time that Tielemans had good skills with long passes.[7]

Personal life

[edit]

Tielemans was born in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Flemish Brabant.[41] His father is of Flemish descent and his mother is of Congolese descent.[42] He continued education until the age of 18, combining studies with his professional career.[7] As of 2020, he lived in the Leicestershire village of Quorn with his wife, Mendy, and their three daughters.[43][44]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 26 October 2024[45]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Anderlecht 2013–14 Belgian Pro League 29 1 2 1 — 4[c] 0 0 0 35 2
2014–15 Belgian Pro League 39 6 4 2 — 8[d] 0 1[e] 0 52 8
2015–16 Belgian Pro League 34 6 2 1 — 9[f] 0 — 45 7
2016–17 Belgian Pro League 37 13 1 0 — 15[g] 5 — 53 18
Total 139 26 9 4 0 0 36 5 1 0 185 35
Monaco 2017–18 Ligue 1 27 0 2 0 1 0 4[c] 1 1[h] 0 35 1
2018–19 Ligue 1 20 5 1 0 2 0 6[c] 0 1[h] 0 30 5
Total 47 5 3 0 3 0 10 1 2 0 65 6
Leicester City (loan) 2018–19 Premier League 13 3 0 0 — — — 13 3
Leicester City 2019–20 Premier League 37 3 2 0 5 2 — — 44 5
2020–21 Premier League 38 6 6 3 0 0 7[f] 0 — 51 9
2021–22 Premier League 32 6 2 1 2 0 13[i] 0 1[j] 0 50 7
2022–23 Premier League 31 3 2 0 4 1 — — 37 4
Total 151 21 12 4 11 3 20 0 1 0 195 28
Aston Villa 2023–24 Premier League 32 2 2 0 1 0 11[k] 1 — 46 3
2024–25 Premier League 9 0 0 0 0 0 3[c] 1 — 12 1
Total 41 2 2 0 1 0 14 2 — 58 4
Career total 376 54 26 8 15 3 80 8 4 0 503 73
  1. ^ Includes Belgian Cup, Coupe de France, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
  6. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, thirteen appearances and four goals in UEFA Europa League
  8. ^ a b Appearance in Trophée des Champions
  9. ^ Five appearances in UEFA Europa League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  10. ^ Appearance in FA Community Shield
  11. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

[edit]
As of match played 14 October 2024[46][47]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Belgium
2016 2 0
2017 6 0
2018 11 0
2019 9 2
2020 6 2
2021 13 0
2022 11 1
2023 7 0
2024 9 4
Total 74 9
As of match played 14 October 2024
Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.[46]
List of international goals scored by Youri Tielemans
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 March 2019 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Russia 1–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
2 10 October 2019 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  San Marino 6–0 9–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
3 15 November 2020 Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium  England 1–0 2–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
4 18 November 2020 Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium  Denmark 1–0 4–2 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
5 11 June 2022 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Wales 1–0 1–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
6 26 March 2024 Wembley Stadium, London, England  England 1–0 2–2 Friendly
7 2–1
8 22 June 2024 RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany  Romania 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2024
9 6 September 2024 Nagyerdei Stadion, Debrecen, Hungary  Israel 2–1 3–1 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A

Honours

[edit]

Anderlecht

Leicester City

Belgium

Mural of Tielemans in Anderlecht

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Youri Tielemans: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Youri Tielemans: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  4. ^ De Cock, Bjorn (28 October 2013). "In the footsteps of Vincent Kompany: Youri Tielemans". Benefoot. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Lokeren smeert jong Anderlecht al nederlaag aan" (in Dutch). Sporza. 28 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  6. ^ "AND 2–3 LOK | Anderlecht – Lokeren | Summary". Flashscore. 28 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Who is Youri Tielemans? We profile exciting Anderlecht midfielder". Sky Sports. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  8. ^ Scholten, Berend (14 February 2015). "UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Youri Tielemans". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Club go down 3–0 at Anderlecht". Club Brugge. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Youri Tielemans verzilvert topstatus Ebbenhouten Schoen". HLN. 8 May 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Gala du Footballeur Pro: Youri Tielemans élu joueur de l'année, René Weiler sacré entraîneur!" [Professional Footballer Awards: Youri Tielemans elected player of the year, René Weiler best manager!] (in French). DH. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  12. ^ a b "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season". UEFA. 25 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Officieel: Youri Tielemans tekent contract tot 2022 bij Franse kampioen Monaco" [Official: Youri Tielemans signs contract until 2022 with French champion Monaco] (in Dutch). HLN. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  14. ^ De Beck, Mike (30 July 2017). "Tielemans meteen goed voor splijtende assist in eerste officiële wedstrijd" [Tielemans shows his worth with a clever assist in first official appearance] (in Dutch). HLN. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Monaco and Leipzig share Champions League spoils". Ligue 1. 13 September 2017.
  16. ^ "career data of Youri Tielemans". Soccerway. 16 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Youri Tielemans dans les flops de la première partie de saison en Ligue 1" [Youri Tielemans among the flops of the first half of the Ligue 1 season] (in French). 7sur7. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  18. ^ Vens, Clint (20 May 2018). "Recordtransfer Anderlecht opgenomen in lijst grootste flops van de Ligue 1" [Anderlecht's record transfer included in list of Ligue 1's biggest flops] (in Dutch). Voetbalkrant. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  19. ^ Buron, Sébastien (2 September 2018). "Ligue 1 : Marseille arrache la victoire à Monaco" [Ligue 1: Marseille snatch victory from Monaco]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Leicester Complete Loan Signing of Youri Tielemans From Monaco as Adrien Silva Departs". 90min.com. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Youri Tielemans Joins On Loan As Adrien Silva Heads To Monaco". Leicester City F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Leicester 3–1 Fulham: Jamie Vardy double earns Brendan Rodgers first win". BBC Sport. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  23. ^ Cooper, Barry; Davies, Matt; Kemble, Jamie (8 July 2019). "City transfer news live – Youri Tielemans officially signs". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Soccer-Bournemouth fume after Tielemans' rash tackle goes unpunished by VAR". Reuters. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  25. ^ Stone, Simon (12 September 2019). "VAR: Four incorrect decisions fail to be overturned in Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Chelsea 0 v Leicester City 1". BBC Sport. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  27. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Youri Tielemans produced one of the great FA Cup final goals to give Leicester City the trophy for the first time in their history with victory over Chelsea at Wembley". BBC.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Aston Villa announce Youri Tielemans agreement". Aston Villa Football Club. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  29. ^ "Rampant Newcastle destroy Aston Villa as debutants make instant impact". The Daily Telegraph. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  30. ^ "AZ Alkmaar-Aston Villa | UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24". UEFA.com. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  31. ^ "Belgium's Marouane Fellaini out of Wales tie". BBC. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  32. ^ "Netherlands 1–1 Belgium". BBC Sport. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  33. ^ "World Cup 2018: Belgium include Vincent Kompany but Christian Benteke misses out". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  34. ^ McNulty, Phil (14 July 2018). "Belgium 2–0 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  35. ^ "Belgium 3–1 Russia: Eden Hazard scores twice in Euro 2020 qualifier". BBC Sport. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Belgium Euro 2020 squad: The 26 players they'll take – plus star player, manager and Euros record". FourFourTwo. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  37. ^ Lea, Greg (1 December 2022). "Belgium World Cup 2022 squad and preview: Roberto Martinez announces final 26-man team". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  38. ^ Abbott, Matt (23 November 2022). "Youri Tielemans moment goes viral as Alphonso Davies leaves Leicester City star on the floor". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  39. ^ Burton, Chris (27 November 2022). "De Bruyne is right, the Golden Generation is over! Belgium winners, losers and ratings as Hazard struggles in shock Morocco loss". Goal. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  40. ^ Smith, Peter (2 December 2022). "World Cup 2022 – Croatia 0–0 Belgium: Romelu Lukaku misses big chances as Roberto Martinez's 'golden generation' knocked out and Croatia reach last 16". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  41. ^ "Youri Tielemans: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  42. ^ Bate, Adam; Terreur, Kristof (6 January 2014). "Targets: Belgium". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  43. ^ Davies, Matt (14 October 2019). "Leicester City star announces arrival of new baby day after scoring for his country". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  44. ^ Percy, John (3 October 2020). "Youri Tielemans exclusive interview: 'Lucky Leicester? We were just better than Manchester City'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  45. ^ "Y. Tielemans". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  46. ^ a b "Tielemans, Youri". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  47. ^ "Youri Tielemans". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  48. ^ http://www.tribtown.com/2017/05/18/soc-champion-anderlecht/[permanent dead link]
  49. ^ http://www.tribtown.com/2017/05/18/soc-champion-anderlecht/[permanent dead link]
  50. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  51. ^ Hafez, Shamoon (7 August 2021). "Leicester City 1–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  52. ^ "Belgium 2–0 England: Line-ups". FIFA. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  53. ^ "Anderlecht's Praet is Belgium's best". UEFA. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  54. ^ "Dennis Praet wint Gouden Schoen 2014" (in Dutch). Knack. 14 January 2015.
  55. ^ "Gouden Schoen 2015 – Youri Tielemans volgt zichzelf op als Belofte van het Jaar" (in Dutch). Knack. 13 January 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
  56. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  57. ^ "Ruud Vormer verkozen tot Gouden Schoen 2017" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 7 February 2018.
  58. ^ a b "Tielemans Scoops Player Of The Season Double". Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
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