Alexis Saelemaekers

Alexis Saelemaekers is a Belgian wide player who can connect defence and attack on the same flank. He has played high on the right and behind a striker, and has described wing-back as another role he can fill. Across those roles, his value lies in offering a passing option going forward while doing the recovery work behind it.

He came through Anderlecht's academy and made his first-team debut against Sint-Truiden in February 2018. Milan brought him from Anderlecht on loan in January 2020. His running and combination play suited different shapes.

During Milan's 2021/22 Serie A title season, Saelemaekers was a regular on the right of Stefano Pioli's attack. His position helped balance a front line that also included Rafael Leão on the opposite side: he could support the right-back, then move upfield to combine with the forwards. The Scudetto was a team achievement, with his role part of that structure.

Loans to Bologna in August 2023 and Roma in August 2024 tested that flexibility in new teams. Bologna described a winger able to play centrally or deeper, and Roma used him both wide and behind a striker. Speaking during the Roma loan, Saelemaekers said he was comfortable playing inside, outside or as a wing-back when the team needed it.

Back with Milan for 2025/26, he gave concrete examples of how that range can produce chances. From a right-sided starting position against Bologna in September 2025, he supplied Luka Modrić's winning goal. Later that month, his pass from the right set up Christopher Nkunku against Lecce in the Coppa Italia. The same flank work could lead to a final ball as well as defensive cover.

Belgium first used him at senior level in October 2020, and he scored his first international goal against the Czech Republic in September 2021. At the 2026 World Cup he started against Iran, then came off the bench to score against New Zealand in the group stage. He also entered Belgium's quarter-final against Spain, which ended their tournament. Back with Milan, he injured his right ankle in training at the end of September 2026, and in October he had surgery in Amsterdam to restore its stability, two years after an earlier operation on the same ankle.

Those milestones show a player whose position is best understood by what he does between phases. He is neither confined to the touchline nor simply an extra defender: he can give a side width, step inside to link play and track back when possession changes. That mix has let coaches use him in several right-sided roles.