Dries Mertens
Belgian forward who became Napoli's all-time top scorer.
via Wikipedia: Dries Mertens · see source
Dries Mertens (born 6 May 1987) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played either as an attacking-midfielder or winger. He is nicknamed "Ciro".
Quick Facts
- Born
- 6 May 1987
- Birthplace
- Leuven, Belgium
- Height
- 1.69 m / 5 ft 7 in
- Position
- Attacking-midfielder; Winger
Lore & Background
Mertens started his career at Stade Leuven, then Anderlecht and Gent youth academies. He made his debut on loan to Eendracht Aalst in the Belgian Third Division. In 2006, he moved to AGOVV Apeldoorn, then Utrecht, then PSV Eindhoven, winning the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield in 2012. In 2013, he signed for Napoli, making nearly 400 appearances, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in 2014, and being named in the Serie A Team of the Year for 2016–17. In 2020, he became Napoli's all-time top goalscorer with 122 goals. In 2022, he joined Galatasaray, winning three consecutive Süper Lig titles. He debuted for Belgium in 2011, earned over 100 caps, and played at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups and the 2016 and 2020 European Championships, helping Belgium to third place in 2018. He was named Belgian Footballer of the Year in 2016.
Reader's Guide
Mertens scored his first hat-trick for PSV in a 6–1 win over Excelsior on 28 August 2011. In the 2014 Coppa Italia final on 3 May, he replaced Marek Hamšík in the 64th minute and scored in stoppage time, securing a 3–1 win over Fiorentina.
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