Birth Date:27 Jun 1999

Birth Place:Berchem-Sainte-Agathe

Nationality:Belgium

Height:180

Weight:72

Preferred Foot:Right

At AC Milan since:2020

Arriving just before the deadline in the January window, Saelemaekers came through at the renowned Anderlecht academy and made his debut for the 34-time champions of Belgium on 16 February 2018. He went on to make 70 appearances in almost two years, scoring two goals (both of which came this season) and providing eleven assists in the process. In the 4-4-2 system adopted by Vercauteren, Saelemaekers has mostly featured as a right winger of late while making the most of his ability with his left foot despite being naturally right-footed. 

Standing at 180 cm and weighing 72 kg, the player born in 1999 was one of the most promising players in the Jupiler League, the top tier in Belgium. Despite often playing on the right flank recently, Saelemaekers has never forgotten his origins as a defender. He emerged as a right-back before moving further up the pitch and could be categorised as a player who can feature anywhere on the wing. This is due to his ability to play quickly and cover lots of ground, meaning his work is not limited to the attacking phase.

Speed and dribbling ability are the strong points of his game: he knows when to cross from the byline and when to cut inside and look to shoot. Last season, he also became part of the Belgium Under-21 side coached by former Udinese player Johan Walem, who regularly picked him in a 4-2-3-1 formation.