Dries Mertens
Mertens at PSV in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dries Mertens | ||
| Date of birth | 6 May 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Leuven, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger / Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
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Current team
|
Napoli | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1998 | Stade Leuven | ||
| 1998–2003 | Anderlecht | ||
| 2003–2005 | Gent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2007 | Gent | 0 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Eendracht Aalst (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | → AGOVV (loan) | 35 | (2) |
| 2007–2009 | AGOVV | 73 | (28) |
| 2009–2011 | Utrecht | 65 | (16) |
| 2011–2013 | PSV | 62 | (37) |
| 2013– | Napoli | 117 | (35) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Belgium U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2011– | Belgium | 55 | (11) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 January 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2016 |
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Dries Mertens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdris ˈmɛrtə(n)s], born 6 May 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Italian Serie A club Napoli and the Belgium national team. Mertens signed for Napoli in 2013 prior to which he had stints in Belgium with Gent and Eendracht Aalst, and in the Netherlands with AGOVV Apeldoorn, Utrecht and PSV. In 2016, he was named Belgian Footballer of the Year.
Mertens made his Belgium debut in 2011 and has since made over 50 appearances for the national team. He was also part of the nation's squads at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.
Born in Leuven, Belgium, Mertens started his career at now-dissolved local club Stade Leuven. It was here that the scouts of Anderlecht first spotted Mertens, ultimately resulting in him being offered a chance to join the club's youth academy in 1998. He spent five years in the youth setup at Anderlecht before being released in 2003, with coaches finding him to be too be too short and physically incapable of competing at professional level. Following his release from Anderlecht, Mertens was signed by fellow Belgian Pro League side, Gent. Following two seasons in Gent's youth academy, Mertens was loaned to Eendracht Aalst for the 2005–06 season. He excelled with the third division side and was named Player of the Year. The coaching staff at Gent, much like those at Anderlecht before, remained unconvinced of Mertens given his slight frame, however, and loaned him out again the following season, this time to AGOVV Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.
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