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Alexis Saelemaekers

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Alexis Saelemaekers
Saelemaekers with Belgium in 2026
Personal information
Full name Alexis Jesse M. Saelemaekers
Date of birth (1999-06-27) 27 June 1999 (age 27)
Place of birth Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Belgium
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Positions
Team information
Current team
 AC Milan
Number 56
Youth career
2010–2012 V. Beersel-Drogenbos
2012–2018 Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Anderlecht 57 (2)
2020 → AC Milan (loan) 13 (1)
2020– AC Milan 138 (8)
2023–2024 → Bologna (loan) 30 (4)
2024–2025 → Roma (loan) 22 (7)
International career‡
2015 Belgium U16 1 (0)
2017–2018 Belgium U19 4 (0)
2018–2020 Belgium U21 12 (0)
2020– Belgium 28 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:49, 20 September 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:21, 10 July 2026 (UTC)

Alexis Jesse M. Saelemaekers[2] (French: [alɛksi salmakɛʁs],[3][4] Dutch: [aˈlɛksis ˈsaləmakərs];[5] born 27 June 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or wing-back for Serie A club AC Milan and the Belgium national team.

Club career

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Anderlecht

[edit]

In October 2017, Saelemaekers signed a contract at Anderlecht until 2019. On 16 February 2018, he made his official debut against Sint-Truiden. He came on as a substitute in the 77th minute. On 8 June 2018, Saelemaekers renewed his contract until 2022.

AC Milan

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On 31 January 2020, AC Milan signed Saelemaekers on loan, with an option to buy.[6] Milan reportedly agreed a €3.5 million fee plus €1 million in bonuses in case of a permanent signing.[7] The same year on 2 February, he made his league debut as a substitute to Davide Calabria in a 1–1 draw against Verona on 2 February 2020.[8]

On 1 July 2020, Saelemaekers signed a contract with Milan which would keep him at the club until 30 June 2024.[9] On 18 July, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 home win over Bologna in Serie A.[10]

In October 2020, Saelemaekers scored his first goal of the season against Rio Ave in qualification match for Europa league.[11] His next goal came on 26 October against Roma in 3–3 draw,[12] his third and last goal of the season was on 20 December against Sassuolo as Milan pulled an away 2–1 victory.[13] In total, he scored three goals and five assists of the season.[14]

On 15 October 2021, Saelemaekers extended his contract until 30 June 2026 with a raise in salary.[15] On 4 December, he scored his first goal of this season against Salernitana, a powerful left footed shot in eventual 2–0 win.[16] His next goal came in a Coppa Italia match against Genoa on 13 January 2022, a goal in extra time as Milan won 3–1.[17]

Loan to Bologna

[edit]

On 30 August 2023, Saelemaekers joined Bologna on loan with an option to buy.[18] At Bologna, Saelemaekers quickly established himself as an important player, fitting perfectly into the manager Thiago Motta's so-called 2–7–2 system.[19] Due to the presence of Riccardo Orsolini on the right side as an "inverted" left-footed right winger, right-footed Saelemaekers began to play on the left in the similar role, a position he sometimes played in at Milan in absence of regular starter Rafael Leão.[20] Saelemaekers was about to join Bologna on a full transfer from Milan before Vincenzo Italiano took over the departing Thiago Motta as a manager at the end of the season and declined to spend €10 million on the player, focusing on other transfer targets.[21]

While initially on the summer transfer market due to oversaturation of attacking players on both wings, Saelemaekers returned to AC Milan's training camp in July, played in all the pre-season friendlies, and was even a surprise starter for the opening 2024–25 Serie A game versus Torino, playing as a left back in place of Theo Hernandez, who later came on in the second half for Davide Calabria, with Saelemaekers moving onto the right side of a back-four.[22]

Loan to Roma

[edit]

On 30 August 2024, he joined fellow Serie A club Roma, on loan for the 2024–25 season.[23] He scored a career high 7 goals in all competitions before returning to Milan at the end of the season.

International career

[edit]
Saelemaekers playing for Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Saelemaekers debuted with the Belgium national team in a 1–1 friendly draw with Ivory Coast on 8 October 2020.[24] On 5 September 2021, he scored his first international goal in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Czech Republic in Brussels, which ended in a 3–0 win.[25]

On 15 May 2026, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[26] The following month, on 26 June, he netted a goal in a 5–1 victory over New Zealand in the team's final group match, which saw them progress to the knock-out stages of the tournament.[27]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 20 September 2026[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Anderlecht 2017–18 Belgian Pro League 1100000—110
2018–19 300103[b]0—340
2019–20 16230——192
Total 5724030—642
AC Milan (loan) 2019–20 Serie A 13120——151
AC Milan 2020–21 322107[b]1—403
2021–22 361416[c]0—462
2022–23 302108[c]200394
2024–25 10———10
2025–26 35330—1[d]0393
2026–27 40001[b]0—50
Milan total 15191112231018513
Bologna (loan) 2023–24 Serie A 30420——324
Roma (loan) 2024–25 Serie A 227207[b]0—317
Career total 260221913231031226
  1. ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, Coppa Italia
  2. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana

International

[edit]
As of match played 10 July 2026[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 202010
202161
202220
202330
202591
202671
Total283
Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Saelemaekers goal.[29]
List of international goals scored by Alexis Saelemaekers
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.5 September 2021King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium3 Czech Republic3–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.18 November 2025Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium21 Liechtenstein5–07–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.26 June 2026BC Place, Vancouver, Canada26 New Zealand5–15–12026 FIFA World Cup

Honours

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AC Milan

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers: Biography". AC Milan. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 267" [Official Communication No. 267] (PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 19 July 2020. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Merci à Alexis Saelemaekers... 🤗🤝🙌" [Thanks to Alexis Saelemaekers... 🤗🤝🙌]. YouTube (in French). Foot Amateur TV. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Meet the Rookie with Alexis Saelemaekers | #REDDEVILS". YouTube. Royal Belgian Football Association. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "How to pronounce Alexis Saelemaekers". YouTube. Dr. Franz Lang. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Saelemaekers is a new AC Milan player". AC Milan. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Milan make Saelemaekers signing". Football Italia. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Colombo, Monica (3 February 2020). "Milan-Verona 1-1: senza Ibrahimovic i rossoneri frenano. L'esordio di Daniel Maldini". Corriere Della Sera (in Italian).
  9. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale: Alexia Saelemaekers". AC Milan. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  10. ↑ "Match report AC Milan 5-1 Bologna, Serie A 2019/2020". AC Milan. 18 July 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "Rio Ave 2-2 AC Milan". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "AC Milan 3-3 Roma". BBC Sport. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Rafael Leão scores quickest ever Serie A goal to spark AC Milan victory". Marca. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers". Diario AS. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers rinnova il contratto con l'AC Milan: Il comunicato ufficiale". AC Milan (in Italian).
  16. ↑ Fisher, Oliver (4 December 2021). "AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana". Smpre Milan. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "AC Milan 3-1 Genoa". BBC Sport. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers joins Bologna". Bologna FC 1900. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  19. ↑ Ritchie, Calum (13 June 2024). "Thiago Motta's "Super Offensive" 2-7-2 Formation Explained". Give Me Sport.
  20. ↑ Fisher, Oliver (9 May 2023). "GdS: Probable XI for AC Milan vs. Inter | Saelemaekers on the left wing". Sempre Milan. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  21. ↑ Fisher, Oliver (6 June 2024). "GdS: Bologna will not use €9.5m Saelemaekers option | He will return to Milan". Sempre Milan.
  22. ↑ "AC Milan - Torino | Official lineups - Saelemaekers starts as a left-back". 17 August 2024.
  23. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers signs for Roma". Roma. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  24. ↑ Lambert, Pierre (8 October 2020). "Alexis Saelemaekers "ne pouvait pas rêver mieux" pour ses débuts" [Alexis Saelemaekers couldn't ask for a better result for his debut]. RTBF (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  25. ↑ "Saelemaekers na sterke prestaties: "Ik zal de keuzes van Martinez respecteren"". Voetbal Primeur (in Dutch). 9 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  26. ↑ "Lukaku among experienced names in Belgium squad". FIFA. 15 May 2026.
  27. ↑ Drury, Sam (27 June 2026). "New Zealand 1–5 Belgium". BBC Sport.
  28. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  29. 1 2 "Alexis Saelemaekers". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  30. ↑ "Milan secure 1st Serie A title in 11 years". News18 India. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  31. ↑ "Alexis Saelemaekers Wins April's Goal of the Month". Serie A. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
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