Gregory Mertens facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gregory Mertens | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Anderlecht, Belgium | ||
| Date of death | 30 April 2015 (aged 24) | ||
| Place of death | Genk, Belgium | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Anderlecht | ||
| 2005–2006 | Dilbeek Sport | ||
| 2006–2010 | Gent | ||
| 2010–2011 | Cercle Brugge | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2014 | Cercle Brugge | 73 | (5) |
| 2014–2015 | Lokeren | 28 | (0) |
| Total | 101 | (5) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | Belgium U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Belgium U19 | 5 | (1) |
| 2011 | Belgium U21 | 7 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gregory Mertens (born February 2, 1991 – died April 30, 2015) was a talented Belgian professional football player. He usually played as a central defender, which means he helped protect his team's goal. His last team was Lokeren.
Contents
Gregory Mertens' Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Gregory Mertens began his football journey in youth teams. He played for well-known clubs like Anderlecht and Gent. In the winter of 2010–11, he moved to the first team of Cercle Brugge. His former coach, Bob Peeters, who knew him from Gent's reserve team, recommended him.
Playing for Cercle Brugge
Gregory made his first professional appearance for Cercle Brugge on February 12, 2011. He came into the game as a substitute in the 89th minute. This match was against his former team, Anderlecht. Cercle Brugge lost that game 1–0. Later, on May 23, 2013, he scored three goals in one game against WS Woluwe. Scoring three goals in a single match is called a hat-trick!
Moving to Lokeren
In 2014, Gregory moved to another Belgian club, Lokeren. He continued to play as a strong defender for them. He played 28 games for Lokeren.
A Sad Day
On April 27, 2015, something very sad happened during a reserve game. Gregory Mertens was playing for Lokeren against K.R.C. Genk. He had a sudden medical emergency on the field. He was quickly taken to the hospital. Doctors put him in a special sleep to help him.
Sadly, Gregory passed away on April 30, 2015. He was only 24 years old. His club, Lokeren, said that he had passed all his health checks. These checks are set by UEFA, which is a big football organization. The club wanted to find out why this sad event happened.
The day after Gregory's passing, his Lokeren teammates played a match. They wore special T-shirts to remember him. The shirts had his name and his squad number, 4.
Achievements
Lokeren
- Belgian Cup: 2013–14
See also
In Spanish: Gregory Mertens para niños
- List of association footballers who died while playing
- List of association footballers who died during their careers
