Zeno Van den Bosch is a young Belgian centre-back, born in 2003. He joined Antwerp in 2016 to complete his development. Gradually working his way up through the ranks, he has now become an undisputed starter since the beginning of the 2024–2025 season, a campaign during which he had the opportunity to play alongside Tobias Alderweireld, a name that carries significant weight in Belgium. On the international stage, the centre-back represented Belgium U21 at the U21 European Championship at the end of 2024.
Physically, the Belgian is not the most powerful defender, with a rather slender profile despite standing at 1.91m. Strength is not one of his main assets, but this is not overly problematic given his style of play. This lack of raw power is largely compensated by remarkable agility and quickness for his size, allowing him to turn rapidly and avoid being beaten by opposing dribblers. Moreover, he can deploy his long legs at high speed, enabling him to poke the ball away even when there is distance to cover or when the opponent is shielding the ball. Equipped with good pace and acceleration, he is capable of recovering defensively when caught out of position by sprinting back towards his own goal. In aerial duels, however, the young Belgian is not particularly impressive, with a jumping technique that could benefit from further improvement.
Defensively, Zeno Van den Bosch prefers to defend on his feet, while still being capable of executing impressive sliding tackles, especially when recovering ground after being beaten. He excels when defending along the touchline or near the corner flag, using the boundaries of the pitch to trap his opponent. Strong in reading the game, both with and without the ball, the centre-back is able to register numerous interceptions by cutting passing lanes, as well as making a high number of shot blocks. At times, the Belgian can appear slightly naïve, jumping in or turning his back on his opponent, but he often compensates for this with his agility and speed.
In possession, Zeno Van den Bosch shows interesting qualities, with a clear predisposition for long passing, finding wingers on the flanks or the number nine running in behind. The young Belgian is heavily involved in build-up play and distributes the ball with variety, most of the time showing real ambition to move the game forward. A strictly right-footed player, he nevertheless copes well under pressure, even when opponents try to trap him along the touchline or force him onto his weaker side. The centre-back loses the ball rarely and makes few mistakes in possession. He could, however, add more ball-carrying to his game in order to make his long passes less predictable and create uncertainty within the opponent’s pressing structure.
Tactically, Zeno Van den Bosch’s versatility could be an interesting asset. He could potentially operate as a defensive right-back given his physical qualities. Although he is currently a pure centre-back, he is capable of playing in both a back four and a back three, and at just 22–23 years old, he still has plenty of room to adapt to new tactical setups.
From a cognitive standpoint, Zeno Van den Bosch shows real maturity. He positions himself intelligently in relation to his teammates, the ball, and his opponents. His positioning is never random, and his strong reading of the game underpins his two main technical strengths: interceptions and long passing.
Mentally, the young defender does not appear to have a natural leader’s profile. Calm and discreet, he remains focused on his own performance, rarely interacting with the referee or actively directing his teammates.
In conclusion, Zeno Van den Bosch’s profile closely resembles that of Clinton Mata. Now reaching maturity in Belgium and in the midst of a second full season, he could gradually take over from the Angolan by initially sharing the position.