 Mertens in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dries Mertens | ||
| Date of birth | 6 May 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Leuven, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 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 | 11 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Belgium U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2011– | Belgium | 22 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 December 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 September 2013 | |||
Dries Mertens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdris ˈmɛrtə(n)s], born 6 May 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a winger for Napoli and the Belgium national team.
Prior to Napoli, Mertens played for K.A.A. Gent, Eendracht Aalst, AGOVV Apeldoorn, FC Utrechtand PSV Eindhoven.
Club career
Early career
As a schoolboy Mertens was picked up by the Belgian youth academy of Anderlecht. He never reached the first team and moved to Gent. After playing in the youth department and the reserves ofGent, he was promoted to the first team. He was subsequently signed on loan with third-classEendracht Aalst, where he was awarded the fans' "Man of the Season". He later moved across the Northern border, to play for the Dutch club AGOVV Apeldoorn.
AGOVV
He became one of the most important players in the Dutch second division team[1] and became thecaptain at AGOVV. After the 2008–09 season, Mertens won "De Gouden Stier", an award given to the Jupiler League's greatest talent.[2] On 25 May 2009, he announced his leaving and soon after, he signed with FC Utrecht.[3]
PSV Eindhoven
On 28 June 2011, it was announced that Mertens was transferred to Eredivisie club PSV Eindhovenin a duo-transfer with FC Utrecht teammate Kevin Strootman for a combined total of 13 million euros. Dries Mertens scored his first hat-trick for PSV on 28 August 2011 against Excelsior. He started the season in the best form of his career. From the opening games of the season he couldn't stop scoring as PSV racked up the goals, his performances culminating in a sensational 7–1 rout of Roda JC in the Eredivisie, in which Mertens scored four goals, including a penalty.[4]
In his first season at PSV, Mertens scored 21 goals in 33 matches. In four KNVB Beker matches he scored three goals, one of which came in the final at de Kuip, in a 3-0 win over Heracles Almelo in a one-sided game.
Napoli
On 16 June 2013, Mertens's agent Søren Lerby confirmed that the player has agreed to move to S.S.C. Napoli.[5] Mertens became Rafael Benítez's first signing as Napoli coach after a reported fee of €9.5 million was agreed with PSV