A look at the particulars of the 27-year-old Belgian central defender, who arrived in the Principality this Tuesday to sign on loan with AS Monaco until the end of the season.A new defensive reinforce...
A look at the particulars of the 27-year-old Belgian central defender, who arrived in the Principality this Tuesday to sign on loan with AS Monaco until the end of the season.
A new defensive reinforcement has arrived at the foot of the Rock. Having arrived in the Principality this Tuesday from Leicester City the Belgian international defender has joined AS Monaco on loan until the end of the season. Wout Faes (28 caps) will be able to bring his experience to a league he knows well. So, before his big debut with in Rouge et Blanc, here are ten things to know about him.. Portrait 📋
The tenth Belgian at AS Monaco 🇧🇪
After the arrival of Stanis Idumbo this summer and coach Sébastien Pocognoli, the Belgian central defender joins the Red Devils contingent at the club. He also becomes the 10th Belgian player in history to wear the red and white colors, alongside names such as Enzo Scifo, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Philippe Léonard, and Youri Tielemans.
Tielemans as a top-class teammate 🤝
He was even described as a “role model” by Wout Faes during their time together at Anderlecht, where they played alongside each other between 2012 and 2017, particularly “for his ability to balance studies and football.” It’s an example he continued to follow in England, as the two players played together at Leicester between 2022 and 2023, as well as with the Belgian national team since 2022. Youri Tielemans has 65 appearances and 6 goals to his name at Leicester.
A medalist at the U17 World Cup in 2015… 🥉
Before joining the senior national team, the Belgian’s career had several significant milestones. In 2015, he reached the semi-finals of the U17 World Cup in Chile. Wearing the captain’s armband, he led his generation – which included Dante Vanzeir and Orel Mangala – to a well-deserved bronze medal thanks to a victory against Mexico (3-2).
… and a semi-finalist in the Youth League 🇪🇺
After this international experience, young Wout would also shine on the European stage. Despite being only 17, the solid defender trained with Anderlecht’s first team and, at the same time, led his youth team to the semi-finals of the Youth League, still as captain and the anchor of a strong defense. Alongside players like Mile Svilar, Dodi Lukebakio, and Aaron Leya Iseka, this golden generation was defeated by Chelsea in the semi-finals (3-0), after having eliminated Arsenal (2-0) and FC Barcelona (2-0)!
A debut in Ligue 1… in Monaco! 🇲🇨
The connection between AS Monaco and Wout Faes dates back several years. The Belgian, then recruited by Stade de Reims, played his very first match in the French top flight at the Stade Louis-II during the 2020-2021 season in a lively draw where the defenders impressed including Benoît Badiashile and Axel Disasi – who he had replaced at SDR – and they distinguished themselves for the Rouge et Blanc (2-2).
Voted “Stade de Reims Player of the Season” 2021-2022 🏅
Before moving to England, where he would win the EFL Championship title with Leicester in his second season, Wout Faes first made his mark in Ligue 1. With Reims, he was voted player of the season for 2021-2022, ahead of Hugo Ekitike, thanks in part to his 215 ball recoveries, 41 blocked shots, 4 goals, and 118 duels won. In total, he played 77 matches for the Champagne-based club and scored 5 goals across all competitions.
With complete discretion 🤐
Unusually for a player of his generation, the Belgian defender doesn’t have any public social media accounts. This proves that he prefers “discretion off the field” and prioritizes “spending time with his loved ones,” as he explained in an interview. His former teammate Dodi Lukebakio describes him as someone very calm both on and off the pitch, a true quiet force.
The greatest as inspiration 💪
Often compared to David Luiz because of his hair, Wout Faes explains that his true role models are other great defenders who played in Ligue 1 and, more specifically, for Paris Saint-Germain, namely the Brazilian Thiago Silva and the Spaniard Sergio Ramos.
Mol, land of champions 🌍
Originally from the town of Mol in the province of Antwerp, with a population of less than 40,000 inhabitants, the Belgian defender was born in a region that has produced several top-level athletes. Among them are Jasper Philipsen (10 stage wins in the Tour de France), Joël Smets (500cc motocross world champion in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000), and Tom Boonen (four-time winner of Paris-Roubaix in 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2012).
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A well-known number 🔎
The Belgian defender will wear the number 25 for the Rouge et Blanc. It’s a number that Monaco fans know well, as Kamil Glik won the French league title with the club during the 2016-2017 season. Before him, Éric Abidal during the 2000-2001 season and then Jérôme Rothen from 2002 to 2004 also wore the number 25 on their backs.
Category: General Sports
