What do Manchester United fans need to learn about Youri Tielemans?
Youri Tielemans is a player well known to Manchester United supporters from his time playing against the club. Now he is set to join Michael Carrick’s side.
After United activated Tielemans’ £35 million release clause, we have compiled 10 facts about the player you may not already know…
Champions League record holder
Youri Tielemans is the youngest ever Belgian player to feature in the Champions League, a record he set back in 2013.
Tielemans made his debut for Anderlecht against Olympiakos aged 16 and 148 days.
Tielemans captained Anderlecht against Michael Carrick
Youri Tielemans captained Anderlecht for their Europa League home fixture against Manchester United in 2017.
The captain of Manchester United was none other than Michael Carrick, Tielemans’ new manager. Carrick was 35 at the time while Tielemans was 19.
He also played alongside another member of the United coaching staff, Jonny Evans during his time at Leicester.
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9-0 wins
Youri Tielemans has played in three different 9-0 wins across his professional career, one of which was in the Premier League.
- Belgium 9-0 Gibraltar (2017)
- Belgium 9-0 San Marino (2017)
- Leicester 9-0 Southampton (2019)
Tielemans also scored his first ever Belgium goal in an 8-1 win over Estonia, in just his second appearance.
Record against United
Youri Tielemans has played in matches against Manchester United 15 times across his career. His record is as follows.
- 4 wins for Tielemans
- 4 draws
- 7 defeats
- 2 goals scored
Tielemans’ goals against United both came in wins for Leicester City, inside the same calendar year. One was in a 3-1 FA Cup victory in March 2021. The second was in a 4-2 Premier League win one month before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired.
Harry Maguire is the only remaining starter at the club from the United team that lost when Tielemans scored in the FA Cup victory.
Most wins vs
The Premier League team who Youri Tielemans has the most career wins against is Brighton and Hove Albion
- 8 – Brighton
- 7 – Newcastle
- 6- Arsenal, Tottenham, Fulham
Recently relegated West Ham also suffered eight losses against Tielemans, with Wolves on seven.
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Tielemans’ first Premier League goal
The first ever goal Youri Tielemans scored in the Premier League was assisted by title-winning striker Jamie Vardy.
Vardy set Tielemans up to score the opener in Leicester’s 3-1 home victory over Fulham in 2019.
United star lost FA Cup Final to Tielemans
The greatest moment of Youri Tielemans’ career came when he scored the winner in the 2021 FA Cup Final for Leicester City against Chelsea.
There was one current Manchester United player on the losing team that day; with Mason Mount playing for Chelsea.
England manager Thomas Tuchel was the Chelsea coach at the time.
Tielemans also won the Europa League in 2026 for Aston Villa, scoring in the Final too. His midfield partner was none other than former United defender Victor Lindelof.
No red cards
Despite playing in more than 500 career games for club and country, Youri Tielemans has never received a red card.
In the 25 Premier League games he played for Aston Villa last season, Tielemans did not even pick up a single yellow card.
Immediate World Cup impact
Youri Tielemans has played in three World Cups for Belgium, in 2018, 2022 and 2026. When he made his World Cup debut in 2018, Tielemans took only four minutes to provide an assist.
Tielemans came off the bench in the 86th minute with Belgium leading 4-1 against Tunisia. He completed the team’s scoring by setting up Michy Batshuayi to score in the 90th minute.
Tielemans started the next group game against England, and provided an assist for former United player Adnan Januzaj to score the winner in a 1-0 victory.
All-time World Cup record
Youri Tielemans set a record at World Cup 2026 for scoring the latest goal in a match in the history of the competition.
Tielemans scored a penalty at the end of extra-time in the Last 32 game against Senegal, capping a remarkable 3-2 comeback.
His goal was timed at 124:44 after a lengthy VAR check, allowing Belgium to progress to the next round. They were eventually eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Teammates with Mbappe
Youri Tielemans has played with numerous former Manchester United players, from Romelu Lukaku to Jonny Evans, from Jadon Sancho to current forward Marcus Rashford.
Did you know he also played alongside Kylian Mbappe?
Tielemans and Mbappe shared the pitch together once for Monaco, in a 2-1 defeat to PSG at the start of the 2017/18 season.
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