ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Youri Tielemans

Youri Marion A. Tielemans was born on July 7, 1997, in Brussels, Belgium. He is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Belgium national team.

Tielemans began his career at RSC Anderlecht, where he made 184 appearances and scored 35 goals over four seasons. During this time, he won several titles, including the Belgian Super Cup in 2013 and was crowned Belgian champion with the club in 2017. He also represented Belgium at various youth levels before earning his first cap for the senior team in November 2016, aged 19.

In 2013, Tielemans made his first-team debut against Lokeren, replacing injured Sacha Kljestan after 25 minutes of a 2-3 home loss. He became the third youngest player and the youngest Belgian to play a Champions League match at just 16 years and 148 days in the match between Anderlecht and Olympiacos.

Tielemans won several individual awards, including the Belgian Young Player of the Year award twice and was named the 2016-17 Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year. He also received the Ebony Shoe Award for best player of African origin in 2017. In the UEFA Europa League, he reached the quarter-finals with Anderlecht in 2017 and was selected to the Squad of the Season.

In May 2017, Tielemans joined AS Monaco on a five-year deal worth around €25 million. He made his first Ligue 1 start against Strasbourg, playing the entire match in a 3-0 home win. However, he courted controversy with a high challenge on Callum Paterson.

Tielemans scored his first goal for Monaco in a 3-1 win over Fulham and also won a home match against Bournemouth. He continued to impress at Monaco, playing 134 matches in three seasons and winning the UEFA Europa League title in the 2025-26 season.

In August 2019, Tielemans joined Premier League club Aston Villa on a free transfer after his contract with Monaco expired.