OTD: NOAH SADIKI BORN

Current Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki was born on this day. Despite it being his first season in the Premier League, at a young age, he has adapted perfectly and has proven capable of competing with the division’s very best.

Born in Brussels, Belgium, in 2004, Noah Sadiki is of Congolese descent and represents DR Congo at an international level. Between U18 and U20 levels he was registered to play for Belgium and picked up a number of youth caps for them until switching allegiance to play for DR Congo’s U21 team. To date, he has picked up 11 caps for the Central African country.

At a club level, Sadiki joined Anderlecht’s youth academy in 2011 and made his senior debut for the club on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign, coming off the bench in the final few minutes in a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.

The following season he played for both the senior team and for Anderlecht’s reserve side, who featured in the Belgian second tier. Overall, he turned out 18 times for the first team and on 14 occasions for the reserves. The main highlight would definitely be him getting onto the pitch to play eventual Europa Conference League winners West Ham United in the group stage of the competition.

In July 2023, the midfielder left Anderlecht and transferred to fellow Pro League side Union Saint-Gilloise for a fee of €1.4 million and immediately became a regular name on the team sheet. He managed 53 games in all competitions, including matches in both the Europa League and Conference League, playing twice against Liverpool in the former of those. Saint-Gilloise finished runners-up in the league but they did manage to win their first Belgian Cup in 110 years. During their run to the final, Noah featured in every round bar the semi-final and appeared off of the bench as his club defeated Antwerp 1-0 to lift the cup.

The 2024/25 season saw his first career goals, the first of which was the third in a 4-0 victory over KRC Genk in a league fixture. In 55 matches total, he scored twice and assisted eight times, which is a personal record for most number of games played in a season and most number of goal contributions. He also won the Belgian Super Cup but, more notably, he helped Les Unionistes be crowned champions of Belgium for the first time since 1935.

In July 2025, SAFC completed the signing of Noah Sadiki for a reported fee of €17 million plus €3 million in add-ons on a five-year deal, following on from our promotion to the Premier League. Upon completing his move to the club he said this: “I want to thank everyone for welcoming me to Sunderland. This is a huge Club, but what convinced me was speaking to the people. They spoke about the history, what they want to build, and their belief in the part that I can play. I will bring duels, forward runs, passion, and track back. Above all else, I want to win – and I carry this desire with me every time I step onto the field. This is my team now, and I’m really happy with my decision.”

Since joining Sunderland, Noah has been a constant on the teamsheet. He played in all 16 of our first 16 league matches, a run which will only come to an end due to him going away to represent his country in the Africa Cup of Nations. He’s often praised for covering every blade of grass and carrying on until the very last minute of games. Sadiki hasn’t looked out of place against Champions League opposition, he played a crucial role in games against Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United, and has helped us claim points against established top flight clubs on a number of occasions. He hasn’t scored or assisted yet but you’d back him to do at least one of those before the end of the season. It’s no wonder other clubs are sniffing around for his signature.