In modern football, people often talk about talent and far less about reliability. Yet Milan in recent years has built part of its identity precisely through players able to adapt, endure, and grow without noise. Alexis Saelemaekers is one of them. Not the flashiest, not the most celebrated, but probably one of the most emblematic figures of the Rossoneri’s recent journey.
From unknown to asset: Saelemaekers never stopped being useful
On 31 January 2020, Milan signed on loan from Anderlecht a 20-year-old boy, virtually unknown to the wider public, with a hard-to-pronounce name. Saelemaekers arrived in Serie A quietly, in a new league, in a complex context, with Covid about to explode, carrying the label of a possible emergency right-back. A few appearances here and there, a gradual adaptation, then the pandemic halted everything and reshuffled every certainty and every hierarchy. And it is precisely from there that his true Rossoneri story began.
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After the lockdown, Alexis started playing regularly. Pioli converted him into a wide attacker in the 4-2-3-1, asking for sacrifice, running, and balance. The Belgian delivered. He scored his first goals in a Milan shirt and became, without proclamations, a fixed presence. He was never the best player on the pitch, but almost never the worst. And in football, especially for those asked to deliver few numbers and plenty of substance, this matters.
The Scudetto and the quiet confirmation
The 2021-22 season marked the peak. Milan won the Scudetto and Saelemaekers was one of the symbols of that team. Forty-six appearances in all competitions, more than anyone else. His first trophy as a professional came not through pure talent, but through reliability, application, and sacrifice. A quiet confirmation that, despite numbers not typical of a true attacking winger, made him one of the faces of that title-winning Milan. A team with some talent, a few stars, but many, many role players ready to do anything to reach the goal.
The following year, with the Scudetto badge on the chest, the level rose. Milan, and above all the fans, demanded more from him. Quantity was no longer enough. Effort was no longer enough. Dedication was no longer enough. Something extra was required. A few goals, a few assists, a moment of quality. Like the one in Naples, but it remained just a flash, in a season where much was missing and something seemed to break.
Bologna, Roma, and the roller coaster:
In the summer, Milan changed shape. Pulisic and Chukwueze arrived and there was no longer space for Alexis. He went on loan to Bologna, convinced, grew, and contributed to a historic qualification for the Champions League, but was not redeemed. He returned to Milan, played the opening league match, then was included in the deal with Roma that brought Tammy Abraham to the Rossoneri. In the capital, he arguably enjoyed his most productive season in front of goal. He started poorly, then imposed himself and scored seven league goals. A career high. Redemption seemed a formality, but for one reason or another, he was not confirmed once again. And so, for the second time, he returned home.
Allegri and the definitive rebirth:
This time, however, he found Massimiliano Allegri waiting for him. And above all, he found what has perhaps become his true role: a right wing-back, tailor-made after years of adaptations. The perfect meeting point between what he had become over time and what Milan genuinely needed. The result was clear. Twenty-five appearances out of 25 as a starter, two goals and five assists so far, but above all a level of consistency that has turned him into one of the team’s pillars.
Saelemaekers is no longer a simple tactical option, but a structural necessity. He is the man who guarantees balance between the two phases, width, defensive cover, without giving up the forward drive that has always been part of his DNA. For Allegri, he is now indispensable. Constant running from the 1st to the 90th minute, perhaps a slightly fiery temperament and a few moments of poor clarity, but always extremely valuable.
The numbers only tell part of the story. His real value lies in the invisible work: kilometres covered, defensive doubling-up, anticipatory reading, off-the-ball runs, and an innate ability to almost always be involved in the move that leads to a goal. Saelemaekers is not the player who decides matches with a single action, but he is often the one who allows Milan to play them the way Allegri wants, with order, aggression, and collective discipline. In a team built on balance, Alexis has become the man of continuity.
His presence is therefore indispensable to Milan’s game. His absence remains an unknown. He is the only Milan player who has not missed a single match this season. Since 17 August. Twenty-five out of 25 starts. No rotation. No rest. Against Roma, precisely Roma, a forced stoppage now looks possible. His condition needs to be assessed and the coming days will be decisive in determining whether Alexis will make his 26th appearance of the season at the Olimpico or be forced to sit out. And perhaps it will be in that moment that his true importance to Milan will finally be understood.
