Youri Tielemans was born on 7 May 1997 in Sint-Gillis (Saint-Gilles), Brussels, Belgium. He came through the acclaimed academy of Anderlecht and made his senior debut at just 16 in 2013, quickly establishing himself as one of the most technically gifted young midfielders in European football. He won consecutive Belgian First Division titles at Anderlecht and was named the league's best player in 2016-17.
Monaco signed him in 2017 for around €25 million. Two seasons in Ligue 1 brought further development before Leicester City took him on loan in January 2019 — a loan that captured the Premier League's imagination and was made permanent for roughly £32 million in the summer of 2019. At Leicester he became a beloved figure, most memorably scoring the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea — the club's first FA Cup trophy — a curling strike from outside the box that has been voted among the Premier League's all-time great finals goals.
After five years at Leicester, Tielemans joined Aston Villa on a free transfer in 2023 and has been part of Unai Emery's project as Villa re-established themselves as a top-four challenger, including a return to the UEFA Champions League.
For Belgium he debuted in 2016 and has been one of the most capped members of the Golden Generation, featuring at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as well as multiple European Championships. He has been a central contributor to Belgium's squad under both Roberto Martínez and Domenico Tedesco, valued for his composure, box-to-box range and technical elegance.
Standing 1.78 m, Tielemans is a two-footed central midfielder who combines a natural sense of timing in the press with the quality to play the decisive pass at the highest level. His 2021 FA Cup final goal remains the defining image of his club career.