Tielemans signs contract with Anderlecht until 2020

Belgian footballer Youri Tielemans this week signed a contract for five seasons with RSC Anderlecht in the Belgian pro league. The 18-year-old midfielder has grown in stature as a strong player for the Purple and White since breaking into the Anderlecht team last season and winning the young player of the year award, reports brusselnieuws.be.

Several foreign clubs showed interest in Tielemans, but with this new contract Tielemans commits to staying with Anderlecht for at least the next five years.

"We have to address Tielemans as 'sir' from now on," says Anderlecht chairman Roger Vanden Stock. "Youri is grown-up now, but he remains the “child" of the club, as he started with our youth academy when he was just five years old, and has never left. He’s been part of the club for 13 years, and that deserves respect.”

Tielemans is from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, just outside Anderlecht. Since making his debut in Anderlecht’s first team in July, 2013, he has become one of the team’s star players, competing in more than 80 games for the club before his 18th birthday. Only Romelu Lukaku played more games at that age.

photo: Youri Tielemans (@ytielemans) | Twitter