Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia has selected Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans as the captain of the national team, Afrosport reports.
The Belgium captaincy has been rotated since Garcia was appointed as head coach as a replacement for Domenico Tedesco in January.
The French tactician has now decided to pick Tielemans, who is of DR Congo heritage, to captain the Red Devils on a permanent basis.
Garcia, speaking ahead of Thursday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein, said: “Youri Tielemans will be our permanent captain. We’ve rotated the captain’s armband for a long time, but now the decision has been made.
“He has a good relationship with everyone in the group. He enjoys unanimity within the group. Even though other guys remain important leaders, like Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku… but Youri gets the armband.”
Tielemans, meanwhile, felt proud to be handed the captaincy.
“There are few things more beautiful in a career than this. There were five names and I’m the chosen one,” he said.
“It wouldn’t have made any difference to me. I’ll always be the same. I’m proud, that’s for sure, but it won’t change my personality.”
This is your captain speaking. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/mig2LuwUtg
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) September 3, 2025
Tielemans has won 77 caps for Belgium, scoring 10 goals and providing 11 assists. He has featured at two FIFA World Cup (2018 and 2022), two Euro championships (2020 and 2024) and three UEFA Nations League editions.
