Meet Domenico Tedesco, the man in charge of the Belgian national football team until the 2026 World Cup

In February 2023, the Royal Belgian Football Association officially appointed Domenico Tedesco as the manager of the Belgian national football team. The young Italian-German did a good job in his first year, leading the Belgian Red devils to EURO 2024, and is now being rewarded for that.

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The Royal Belgian Football Association announced on its website that Tedesco has extended his contract by two years, until after the 2026 World Cup, which takes place in Mexico, the US and Canada.

"For me it is a privilege and an honor to be the national coach of Belgium. All of us on the coaching team really enjoy the task. Working with the team, but also with all employees in the federation. I identify 100 percent with the Red Devils. That's why I'm very pleased that we're continuing on the path we've chosen together," Tedesco said on the Belgian Football Association's website. Let's look back at the Belgium coach's remarkable career path so far.

Tedesco didn't have a great career as a footballer, but nonetheless made a name for himself as a manager. He obtained his managerial degree when he was 31, graduating with better grades than Julian Nagelsmann, the current Germany head coach, according to Belgian sports medium Sporza.

Tedesco started at the bottom. He worked as head coach of the U17 team of VfB Stuttgart, before moving to TSG Hoffenheim, where he worked in a similar role.

Tedesco was ambitious, though, and wanted to make it as a head coach in professional football. And it wouldn't be long before he would get a chance to prove that he had what it takes.

In March 2017, Erzgebirge Aue – a team that played in the 2. Bundesliga at the time – appointed Tedesco as their new head coach. The Italian-German left his mark at the club, avoiding relegation after a five match streak without a loss. The future looked bright for Tedesco, who was on the move to the Bundesliga.

In the summer of 2017, Schalke 04 signed Tedesco in a two-year deal. His first season in Gelsenkirchen would be a memorable one.

Tedesco and Schalke took German football by surprise, coming in second in the 2017-2018 Bundesliga season and earning a Champions League ticket along the way.

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Tedesco and Schalke started their second season with high hopes, but the magic started to wear off. After a 0-7 loss against Manchester City in the Champions League, Tedesco's story at Gelsenkirchen had come to an end.

Tedesco was unemployed for six months, before being appointed as the head coach of Russian giant Spartak Moskou in October 2019.

His adventure at Spartak lasted for 54 games and 1,5 year, before he left Russia because he was struggling to be apart from his family during the pandemic, as per The Daily Mail. Next stop: Germany.

In December 2021, Tedesco was appointed as the new manager of German top flight club RB Leipzig.

In their first season together, Tedesco and Leipzig proved to be a good match. He guided the club to a fourth place in the Bundesliga, the semi-finals of the Europa League and a DFB-Pokal triumph.

Similar to what happened at Schalke, Tedesco's second season at Leipzig didn't go as smoothly as his first one. The Red Bulls underwhelmed during the beginning of the 2022–23 campaign, resulting in the sacking of Tedesco in September 2022.

Tedesco took some time off after being sacked by Leipzig, but he would soon be named as a possible candidate by several media to succeed Roberto Martinez as the head coach of the Belgium national team.

After sorting out some contract details with Leipzig, Tedesco was officially appointed Belgium's new head coach on February 8, 2023. "For me it is a great honour to be the new head coach of Belgium. I'm really looking forward to the task and I'm extremely motivated. I had a very good feeling right from the first conversation," he said on the Royal Belgian Football Association's website.

Tedesco signed a contract with the Red Devils until after EURO 2024, which he extended until 2026. Will he manage to impress Europe with the Red Devils?

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