Dries Mertens facts for kids
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Mertens with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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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) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward, winger | |||||||||||||||
| 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 | 69 | (17) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | PSV Eindhoven | 62 | (37) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2022 | Napoli | 295 | (113) | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Galatasaray | 100 | (20) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Belgium U17 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2022 | Belgium | 109 | (21) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:44, 30 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:09, 1 December 2022 (UTC) |
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Dries "Ciro" Mertens (born 6 May 1987) is a famous Belgian former footballer. He was known for playing as a forward or a winger.
Mertens started his youth career at clubs like Stade Leuven and Anderlecht. He then played for AGOVV Apeldoorn and Utrecht in the Netherlands. Later, he joined PSV Eindhoven and won the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield.
In 2013, Mertens moved to Napoli in Italy. He played almost 400 games for them. He won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana. In 2020, he became Napoli's all-time top goalscorer. After Napoli, he joined Galatasaray in Turkey in 2022. He helped them win three Süper Lig titles in a row.
Mertens also played for the Belgian national team from 2011. He played over 100 games for his country. He was part of Belgium's teams at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He also played in the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020. Belgium finished third at the 2018 World Cup. In 2016, he was named Belgian Footballer of the Year. Mertens officially retired from professional football on June 22, 2025.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Career
Dries Mertens was born in Leuven, Belgium. He began playing football as a young boy at a local club called Stade Leuven. Scouts from Anderlecht noticed him and he joined their youth academy in 1998.
In 2003, Anderlecht let him go because coaches thought he was too short to play professionally. After that, Mertens joined another Belgian club, Gent. After two years in Gent's youth team, he was loaned to Eendracht Aalst for the 2005–06 season. He played very well for this team and was even named Player of the Year. Gent's coaches still had doubts about his size, so they loaned him out again. This time, he went to AGOVV Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.
Time at AGOVV
On July 1, 2006, Mertens officially joined AGOVV Apeldoorn. He scored 2 goals in 35 games during his first season. He quickly became a favorite among the fans. Because he played so well, AGOVV decided to sign him permanently.
The next season, Mertens scored 15 goals in 38 games. He became so important that he was named the new team captain for the 2008–09 season. He scored 13 more goals that season and won the Golden Bull award. This award is given to the most talented player in the Eerste Divisie league. This was his last season with AGOVV. He played 110 games for the club and scored 31 goals.
Moving to Utrecht
In March 2009, Mertens agreed to join Utrecht, a team in the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie. The transfer cost €600,000. In his first season, Mertens scored six league goals. He was also named runner-up for the Dutch Footballer of the Year award. He won the Di Tommaso Trophy, which is given to Utrecht's Player of the Season.
The next season, he scored 10 goals in 31 league games. This included three goals in one game against AZ. He also scored three goals in his first time playing in the UEFA Europa League. In total, Mertens scored 14 goals and made 24 assists that season. His great performances caught the eye of bigger clubs. He played 86 games for Utrecht and scored 21 goals.
Playing for PSV Eindhoven
In June 2011, Mertens signed with PSV Eindhoven, another big club in the Eredivisie. He joined along with his Utrecht teammate Kevin Strootman. The two players were bought for a total of €13 million. Mertens scored in his first game for PSV on August 7, 2011.
Later that month, he scored his first three goals in one game (a hat-trick) for PSV. This happened in a big 6–1 win against Excelsior. On September 24, 2011, Mertens scored four goals in a 7–1 win against Roda JC. This meant he had scored 11 goals in his first 7 games for PSV. He finished the season with 21 goals in 33 league games. He also scored three goals in the KNVB Cup, helping PSV win the final 3–0.
At the start of the next season, PSV won the Johan Cruyff Shield by beating Ajax 4–2. On September 30, 2012, Mertens scored another hat-trick in a 6–0 win against VVV-Venlo. He scored 14 league goals that season and made 17 assists. This was his last season in the Eredivisie. PSV accepted an offer from the Italian club Napoli. Mertens played 88 games for PSV and scored 45 goals in two seasons.
Time at Napoli
On June 16, 2013, Mertens' agent confirmed he would join Napoli. He was the first player signed by Napoli's new manager, Rafael Benítez. The transfer fee was €9.5 million. He played his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A, on August 25, 2013. His first goal for Napoli came on October 30, in a 2–1 win against Fiorentina.
On January 6, 2014, Mertens scored two goals in a 2–0 win against Sampdoria. He also scored in Napoli's 2–0 win over Juventus on March 30. In the Coppa Italia final on May 3, 2014, Mertens scored a goal in extra time. This helped Napoli win 3–1 against Fiorentina and lift the trophy.
Mertens won another trophy on December 22, 2014. Napoli beat Juventus in a penalty shoot-out to win the Supercoppa. Even though he often came on as a substitute, he continued to play well. He scored 10 goals and made 11 assists in the 2014–15 season. In 2015–16, he scored 11 more goals. This included two goals in a 5–0 win against Club Brugge in the Europa League. He also scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Bologna on April 19, 2016.
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After Gonzalo Higuaín left and Arkadiusz Milik got injured, Mertens started playing more as a main striker for Napoli in the 2016–17 season. On December 11, 2016, he scored three goals in a 5–0 win against Cagliari. In the very next game, he scored four goals in a 5–3 win over Torino. This was the first time a Napoli player scored four goals in a game since 1977. His amazing form led to him being named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2016.
On February 4, 2017, Mertens and Marek Hamšík both scored hat-tricks in a huge 7–1 win against Bologna. On the last day of the season, he scored his 50th league goal for Napoli. He finished the season with 28 league goals. The next season, he scored 22 goals.
On November 28, 2018, Mertens scored his 100th goal for Napoli. This happened when he scored twice in a 3–1 UEFA Champions League win. On April 14, 2019, he played his 200th Serie A game for Napoli. On April 28, he scored a goal that made him equal Diego Maradona's record of 81 Serie A goals for Napoli.
In October 2019, Mertens scored two goals in a Champions League game. This meant he had scored more goals for Napoli than Maradona. He became the club's second-highest scorer of all time, behind Hamšík. On February 25, 2020, Mertens scored against Barcelona in the Champions League. This goal tied him with Hamšík as Napoli's all-time top goalscorer with 121 goals.
On June 13, 2020, he scored against Inter Milan in the 2019–20 Coppa Italia semi-final. This goal made him Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer with 122 goals. Napoli went on to win the Coppa Italia final against Juventus. On June 17, he signed a new two-year contract with the club.
On March 21, 2021, Mertens scored his 99th and 100th Serie A goals for Napoli. Later that year, on November 21, he scored his 103rd Serie A goal for Napoli. This made him the club's top scorer of all time in Serie A.
Joining Galatasaray
On August 8, 2022, Mertens joined the Turkish club Galatasaray for free. He helped his new club win the Süper Lig title in the 2022–23 season. This was Galatasaray's 23rd league title.
His second season at Galatasaray was also very successful. On May 26, 2024, Galatasaray won the 2023–24 Süper Lig title. They set a record with 102 points. Mertens played incredibly well for his age. He finished the season as the top assist provider in the league with 18 assists. He also scored 9 goals in 35 games.
On July 3, 2024, Galatasaray announced that Mertens signed a new one-year contract. He reunited with his former Napoli teammate, Victor Osimhen. Mertens and Galatasaray continued to have success in the Süper Lig and in Europe. On May 18, 2025, Galatasaray won their 25th Süper Lig title. They became the first Turkish club to wear a fifth star on their logo. Galatasaray finished the season with 95 points. Mertens ended the season with 6 goals and 21 assists in 52 games.
Retirement
His contract ended on June 22, 2025. Dries Mertens officially announced that he had retired from professional football. He played one final time in a special match to honor Marek Hamšík. Mertens retired as a true legend of the sport.
Playing for His Country
Youth and Early Senior Career
Mertens played for Belgium's youth teams before joining the senior national team. He was first called up by coach Georges Leekens on October 1, 2010. He made his debut on February 9, 2011, in a friendly game against Finland.
He scored his first goal for Belgium on August 15, 2012. This was in a game against the Netherlands. Mertens came on as a substitute and scored one goal and helped with two others. This helped Belgium win 4–2 after being behind 2–1.
2014 FIFA World Cup
Mertens was chosen for Marc Wilmots' 23-player squad for Belgium's 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In a warm-up game on June 7, Mertens scored a late goal to help Belgium win 1–0 against Tunisia.
He played his first World Cup game in Belgium's opening match. He came on at half-time and scored a late goal in a 2–1 win against Algeria. Before the World Cup, Mertens had made a bet with his father that he would score in the tournament. After the game, he posted a photo of himself shaving his father's mustache as a reward for winning the bet. Mertens played five games in total at the World Cup. Belgium was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Argentina.
UEFA Euro 2016
After the World Cup, Belgium started their qualifying games for Euro 2016. Mertens scored two goals in three minutes in their first qualifying game. This was a 6–0 win against Andorra. The next year, he scored one goal and assisted another in a 3–1 win against Israel. This win made sure Belgium finished first in their qualifying group. He was then chosen for Belgium's team for the tournament. He played in all five of Belgium's games. Belgium lost in the quarter-finals to Wales.
2018 FIFA World Cup
Under new manager Roberto Martínez, Mertens scored five goals in Belgium's qualifying games for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This included two goals in an 8–1 win against Estonia on November 13, 2016. He was then selected for Belgium's World Cup team. He scored in Belgium's first game, a 3–0 win against Panama. He played as both a starter and a substitute during the tournament. Belgium finished third, beating England in the third-place play-off.
UEFA Euro 2020
On June 17, 2021, Mertens played his 100th game for Belgium. This was in a 2–1 win against Denmark during the UEFA Euro 2020.
2022 FIFA World Cup
Mertens was part of the Belgian team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The team did not play well and did not make it out of the group stages. On March 17, 2023, the new Belgian coach, Domenico Tedesco, did not pick Mertens for the team. He said it was because Mertens was not fit enough to play.
How He Played
Dries Mertens was a very flexible and hard-working player. He was fast, creative, and small, which helped him dribble past opponents. He had good technique and could see the field well. He was known for both scoring goals and helping his teammates score. He could get into good positions or create space for others.
His favorite position was on the left side as a winger. From there, he could cut inside and shoot with his strong right foot. He could also play on the right side or as an attacking midfielder. He was also good at taking free kicks.
During the 2016–17 season, Napoli's coach Maurizio Sarri started playing Mertens as a main striker. This happened after Gonzalo Higuaín left and Arkadiusz Milik got injured. This change worked very well, and Mertens started scoring many more goals.
Career Statistics
Club Games
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Eendracht Aalst (loan) | 2005–06 | Belgian Third Division | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 4 | ||
| AGOVV Apeldoorn (loan) | 2006–07 | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 2 | ||
| AGOVV Apeldoorn | 2007–08 | Eerste Divisie | 38 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 15 | ||
| 2008–09 | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 13 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 14 | |||
| Total | 108 | 30 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 110 | 31 | ||||
| Utrecht | 2009–10 | Eredivisie | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | Eredivisie | 31 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 3 | — | 47 | 14 | ||
| Total | 69 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 3 | — | 86 | 21 | |||
| PSV Eindhoven | 2011–12 | Eredivisie | 33 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 3 | — | 49 | 27 | |
| 2012–13 | Eredivisie | 29 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 18 | |
| Total | 62 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 45 | ||
| Napoli | 2013–14 | Serie A | 33 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 | — | 47 | 13 | |
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 31 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 10 | |
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 33 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | — | 40 | 11 | ||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 35 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | — | 46 | 34 | ||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 38 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | — | 49 | 22 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 35 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | — | 47 | 19 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 31 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | — | 42 | 16 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 29 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 10 | |
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 30 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | 37 | 13 | ||
| Total | 295 | 113 | 21 | 7 | 79 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 397 | 148 | ||
| Galatasaray | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 30 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 33 | 7 | ||
| 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 12 | |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 34 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 6 | |
| Total | 100 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 136 | 25 | ||
| Career total | 648 | 221 | 45 | 14 | 133 | 39 | 5 | 0 | 831 | 274 | ||
International Games
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2011 | 8 | 0 |
| 2012 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 13 | 5 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 16 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 109 | 21 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 August 2012 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 11 |  Netherlands |
2–2 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 February 2013 | Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium | 16 |  Slovakia |
2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 3 | 7 June 2014 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 24 |  Tunisia |
1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 4 | 17 June 2014 | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | 25 |  Algeria |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 5 | 4 September 2014 | Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium | 30 |  Australia |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 10 October 2014 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 31 |  Andorra |
5–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 7 | 6–0 | ||||||
| 8 | 13 October 2015 | 41 |  Israel |
1–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 9 | 10 October 2016 | Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal | 52 |  Gibraltar |
2–0 | 6–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 14 November 2016 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 55 |  Estonia |
2–0 | 8–1 | |
| 11 | 6–1 | ||||||
| 12 | 9 June 2017 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 59 | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 13 | 31 August 2017 | Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium | 60 | Gibraltar |
1–0 | 9–0 | |
| 14 | 11 June 2018 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 69 |  Costa Rica |
1–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 18 June 2018 | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia | 70 |  Panama |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
| 16 | 16 October 2018 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 78 | Netherlands |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 17 | 8 June 2019 | 84 |  Kazakhstan |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification | |
| 18 | 6 September 2019 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 86 |  San Marino |
2–0 | 4–0 | |
| 19 | 5 September 2020 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 91 |  Denmark |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
| 20 | 8 September 2020 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | 92 |  Iceland |
3–1 | 5–1 | |
| 21 | 15 November 2020 | Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium | 93 |  England |
2–0 | 2–0 |
Awards and Trophies
PSV
- KNVB Cup: 2011–12
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2012
Napoli
- Coppa Italia: 2013–14, 2019–20
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2014
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
- Turkish Cup: 2024–25
- Turkish Super Cup: 2023
Individual Awards
- Di Tommaso Trophy: 2010
- Belgian Footballer of the Year: 2016
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2016–17
- All-time topscorer of Napoli: 2020 (148 goals)
- Süper Lig top assist provider: 2023–24
- Honorary citizen of Naples, Italy: 2025
See also
In Spanish: Dries Mertens para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
