Nathan De Cat (born 19 July 2008) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht and the Belgium national team.
.jpg) De Cat with Belgium in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathan De Cat[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 July 2008 | ||
| Place of birth | Vilvoorde, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Anderlecht | ||
| Number | 74 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2024 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | RSCA Futures | 33 | (3) |
| 2025– | Anderlecht | 42 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | Belgium U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Belgium U17 | 10 | (2) |
| 2025– | Belgium U18 | 2 | (1) |
| 2024– | Belgium U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2026– | Belgium | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 March 2026 | |||
Club career
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De Cat is a youth product of Anderlecht having joined them at age 10, and he signed his first professional contract with them in October 2023, valid until June 2025.[2] He made his professional debut on 22 February 2024, in a 0–1 Challenger Pro League away win against SL16 FC.[3] On 27 August 2024, De Cat extended his contract with Anderlecht until 2027, and was promoted to the senior squad.[4]
On 20 February 2025, he made his first team debut for Anderlecht in UEFA Europa League knockout game against Fenerbahçe, coming on as a substitute. He is one of the youngest debutants for Anderlecht at 16 years, 7 months and 1 day.[5]
He made his professional league debut as a 1 minute substitute vs Racing Genk on 6 April in a Jupiler Pro League Champions’ Playoffs match, coming on in the 90th minute.
On 1 May 2025, he scored his first goal for RSC Anderlecht against Royal Antwerp FC in a Jupiler Pro League Champions’ playoffs match, after coming on as a substitute for Majeed Ashimeru.[6]
International career
editDe Cat is a youth international for Belgium. He was part of the Belgian U17 team who reached the semi-finals of the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament.[7]
On 28 March 2026, he made his senior debut for Belgium as a substitute in a 5–2 friendly victory over the United States.[8]
Style of play
editDe Cat was included in The Guardian's "Next Generation 2025: 60 of the best young talents in world football", where he was described as a "towering midfielder", and further "He is a fighter, but loves dribbling too".[9]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 24 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | Belgian Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| RSCA Futures | 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | Challenger Pro League | 23 | 3 | — | — | — | 23 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 3 | — | — | — | 33 | 3 | |||||
| Anderlecht | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 36 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5[b] | 0 | — | 46 | 3 | ||
| Total | 42 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 53 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 75 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 7 | ||
- ↑ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
- ↑ One appearance in UEFA Europa League, four appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
edit- As of match played 29 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours
editIndividual
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2025[10]
- Belgian Promise of the Year: 2025[11]
References
edit- ↑ "LISTE D'ÉQUIPE" (PDF). FIFA. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ↑ "Nathan De Cat signs his first professional contract - October 2023 - Soccerway". rsca.be.
- ↑ "SL16 FC vs. RSCA Futures - 2 February 2024 - Soccerway". soccerway.com.
- ↑ "Nathan De Cat has extended his contract until 2027 | RSC Anderlecht". www.rsca.be. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ↑ "16-jarige Decat debuteert bij RSC Anderlecht" [16 year old Decat makes his debut for RSC Anderlecht]. voetbalbelgië.be. voetbalbelgië. 26 April 2025.
- ↑ "Antwerp-Anderlecht live: 16 jarige De Cat zet Anderlecht op dubbele voorsprong tegen tienkoppig Antwerp" [Antwerp-Anderlecht live: 16 year old De Cat puts Anderlecht 2 goals ahead against 10-men Antwerp]. Sporza.be. Sporza. 1 May 2025.
- ↑ "2025 U17 EURO Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ van Haaster, Jonathan (28 March 2026). "Mika Godts kent sterk debuut voor België, dat vijf keer scoort tegen de Verenigde Staten" (in Dutch). Voetbalzone.
- ↑ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (2025-10-14). "Next Generation 2025: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ↑ "2025 U17 EURO Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ↑ "Verrassing op de Gouden Schoen: Ardon Jashari (AC Milan) troeft ex-ploegmaats van Club Brugge af met 1 stemronde". Sporza (in Dutch). 11 January 2026.
External links
edit- Nathan De Cat at Soccerway
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