Youri Tielemans, calm and decisive, Belgium’s captain who ticks every box | OneFootball

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans, 29, is the calm link between generations as they face the United States in Seattle on Monday night, a 2 am start in France. He has 89 caps and 15 goals.

L'Équipe reports that he took the armband on 4 September 2025 in Vaduz during a 6-0 win over Liechtenstein, after Rudi Garcia judged he ticked every box. The decision also kept Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois on equal footing following Courtois’s row with Domenico Tedesco before Euro 2024.

He then delivered in the round of 32 against Senegal, scoring his first World Cup goals in a 3-2 win after extra time. A header on 89 minutes made it 2-2, and a 120+5 penalty settled it.

"At 16, Youri already had that courage. Youri has exceptional calm," said Sacha Kljestan, speaking to La Dernière Heure.

That composure was built in childhood judo in Brussels, guided by a PE-teacher father, an art-teacher mother and strict Catholic schooling. Penalty routines refined with assistant Stéphane Jobard have reinforced it.

Garcia views him as an important, complete and intelligent midfielder, even likening him to Rio Mavuba. In the United States he responded to calls to play higher by doing so on the pitch, and he almost clashed with Leandro Trossard during a cooling break before later taking his assist.

Aston Villa under Unai Emery has elevated him, capped by a recent Europa League title. Leicester rebuilt him after a flat first year at Monaco in 2017. For now, his focus is the American dream.

Source: L'Équipe