Alexis Saelemaekers
Belgian footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexis Jesse M. Saelemaekers[2] (French: [alɛksi salmakɛʁs];[3] 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.
.jpg)
|
Saelemaekers with Belgium in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexis Jesse M. Saelemaekers | ||
| Date of birth | 27 June 1999 | ||
| 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 | 134 | (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 | 26 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:49, 24 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 05:56, 27 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Anderlecht
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
On 31 January 2020, AC Milan signed Saelemaekers on loan, with an option to buy.[4] Milan reportedly agreed a €3.5 million fee plus €1 million in bonuses in case of a permanent signing.[5] 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.[6]
On 1 July 2020, Saelemaekers signed a contract with Milan which would keep him at the club until 30 June 2024.[7] On 18 July, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 home win over Bologna in Serie A.[8]
In October 2020, Saelemaekers scored his first goal of the season against Rio Ave in qualification match for Europa league.[9] His next goal came on 26 October against Roma in 3–3 draw,[10] his third and last goal of the season was on 20 December against Sassuolo as Milan pulled an away 2–1 victory.[11] In total, he scored three goals and five assists of the season.[12]
On 15 October 2021, Saelemaekers extended his contract until 30 June 2026 with a raise in salary.[13] On 4 December, he scored his first goal of this season against Salernitana, a powerful left footed shot in eventual 2–0 win.[14] 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.[15]
Loan to Bologna
On 30 August 2023, Saelemaekers joined Bologna on loan with an option to buy.[16] At Bologna, Saelemaekers quickly established himself as an important player, fitting perfectly into the manager Thiago Motta's so-called 2–7–2 system.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20]
Loan to Roma
On 30 August 2024, he joined fellow Serie A club Roma, on loan for the 2024–25 season.[21] He scored a career high 7 goals in all competitions before returning to Milan at the end of the season.
International career
Saelemaekers debuted with the Belgium national team in a 1–1 friendly draw with Ivory Coast on 8 October 2020.[22] In September 2021, he scored his first goal in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Czech Republic.[23]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 May 2026[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Anderlecht | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 57 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 64 | 2 | |||
| AC Milan (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| AC Milan | 2020–21 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7[b] | 1 | — | 40 | 3 | ||
| 2021–22 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6[c] | 0 | — | 46 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8[c] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2025–26 | 35 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 39 | 3 | |||
| Milan total | 147 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 180 | 13 | ||
| Bologna (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| Roma (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 22 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | — | 31 | 7 | |
| Career total | 256 | 22 | 19 | 1 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 307 | 26 | ||
- Includes Belgian Cup, Coppa Italia
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
International
- As of match played 26 June 2026[25]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 26 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Saelemaekers goal.[25]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 5 September 2021 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 3 |  Czech Republic | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 18 November 2025 | Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium | 21 |  Liechtenstein | 5–0 | 7–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 26 June 2026 | BC Place, Vancouver, Canada | 26 |  New Zealand | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
