Joseph Mermans
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 February 1922 | ||
| Place of birth | Merksem, Belgium | ||
| Date of death | 20 January 1996 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Wildert, Belgium | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1932–1937 | Tubantia FAC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1937–1942 | Tubantia FAC | ||
| 1942–1957 | Anderlecht | 384 | (339) |
| 1957–1960 | Merksem SC | ||
| National team | |||
| 1945–1956 | Belgium | 56 | (27) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Joseph Mermans (16 February 1922 in Merksem – 20 January 1996 in Wildert), usually referred to as Jef Mermans (nicknamed "The Bomber") was a football striker from Belgium, who played much of his career at Anderlecht, with whom he won 7 Belgian Championship titles and finished top scorer of this competition 3 times.
Mermans played 56 matches with the Belgium national football team, 2 of which in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He is also the 4th top scorer ever for the Belgium national team with 27 goals.
In the early 1930s, the young Mermans, along with a couple of friends, could not afford to become members of FC Antwerp. Eventually, the boys tried their luck at Tubantia F.A.C. (a small club in the Antwerp suburb) and managed to force themselves a way into the youth team.
Five years later, Mermans entered the first team. His progress caught attention of the federal coach and Jef was selected for a Belgium B squad match against Luxembourg in January 1939. At this point, he received twice in two years a proposal to play in the Beerschot team, but Tubantia Borgerhout refused.
A member of the Anderlecht staff arrived at Borgerhout in 1942 with a blank check that was filled in with the record sum of 125,000 Belgian francs in a quarter of an hour.
On his arrival at Anderlecht, the Championship was quite erratic due to the World War II, but he helped Anderlecht in becoming a regular team. In 1947, Mermans was the key player in the conquest of the first Anderlecht title in first division as he scored 38 goals (succeeding to Bert De Cleyn as top scorer). At the peak of his career, Anderlecht received offers from A.S. Roma, Torino Calcio, Atalanta Bergamo, Real Madrid, S.S. Lazio and Atlético Madrid but refused them all.
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