Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 3 June 2026 11:10, UK

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Youri Tielemans was on fire again on Tuesday after a fantastic end to the season for Aston Villa as Belgium beat Croatia 2-0 in their World Cup warm-up.

It was the midfielder who opened the scoring at Stadion HNK Rijeka in Croatia, sliding in after he was found by Maxim De Cuyper.

Romelu Lukaku would add Belgium’s second in stoppage time, in what was the first of two friendlies before the World Cup kicks off later this month.

Tielemans is expected to be the star of Belgium’s tournament, after he enjoyed a stunning season at the club level.

Meanwhile, Villa transfer chiefs will quietly be attempting to agree a new contract with the 29-year-old, who will have two years remaining on his deal this summer.

Belgian media hail Youri Tielemans

Football Insider exclusively revealed last month that Tielemans is increasingly likely to stay at Villa this summer, despite mounting interest.

The 29-year-old was brilliant when he played in the Premier League, despite injuries to his calf and ankle, which saw him miss 13 games.

But the midfielder returned for the most important part of the season, scoring a stunning opener in the Europa League final against Freiburg as Villa won 3-0 last month.

Tielemans looks to have carried that form into his international displays, putting in a superb performance against Croatia on Tuesday.

The Villa man created two chances as well as scoring, made two clearances, two interceptions, and won two free-kicks.

Just as it does when he plays in Unai Emery’s team, the game appeared to flow through the midfielder.

“You can just tell that he has grown tremendously within the national team over the past year,” wrote Belgian sports writer and commentator Peter Vandenbempt for Sporza.

OUAAAAAAAAAAIS LE BUUUUUUUUUUUT DE 🎵 CAPTAIN AMERICA YOURI, YOURI TIELEMANS 🎵 pic.twitter.com/AmUkqmOQtw

— Joueurs Belges 🇧🇪 (@JoueursBE) June 2, 2026

“That captain’s armband fits him like a glove. Tielemans is decisive on the field and fulfils his role off it with flair.”

Aston Villa’s World Cup concern palpable

If Villa had it their way, Belgium would have missed out on World Cup qualification and their captain would be forced to watch from his sofa.

That is undoubtedly not what Tielemans would want, but it is perhaps what is best for the final years of his career.

Sensational from Youri Tielemans 🤯

An absolute rocket to give Aston Villa the lead in the Europa League final 🚀

📺 TNT Sports & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/zOZAIDXLKg

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 20, 2026

After a season that saw the midfielder pick up two concerning injury issues, a summer tournament, in which he will be among the most important players, is not ideal.

Villa’s injury experts will be watching on and wincing each time Tielemans lunges into a tackle or begins to sprint. As will many Premier League teams this summer, amid a crisis of load management.

The midfielder has developed into a crucial cog in Emery’s system, and an early exit for Belgium would be welcomed.