Thomas Meunier facts for kids
Meunier with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 September 1991 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sainte-Ode, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Right-back | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Lille | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2002 | RUS Saint-Ode | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | RUS Givry | |||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Standard Liège | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Virton | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Virton | 49 | (15) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Club Brugge | 149 | (14) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Paris Saint-Germain | 84 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Borussia Dortmund | 56 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Borussia Dortmund II | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | Trabzonspor | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2024– | Lille | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Belgium U21 | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2013– | Belgium | 67 | (8) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Thomas André A. Meunier (born September 12, 1991) is a professional footballer from Belgium. He plays as a right-back for the Lille club in Ligue 1 and for the Belgium national team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Thomas Meunier started his football journey playing for different youth teams in Belgium. He played for RUS Saint-Ode, RUS Givry, and Standard Liège. After dealing with some injuries, he almost quit football. Luckily, his mother encouraged him to keep going. He then joined Virton and impressed everyone there.
Playing for Virton
Meunier began his professional career with Virton in 2009. He made his first appearance on January 31, 2009. In his first season, he played five games.
The 2010–11 season was a big one for him. He became a regular player and scored his first goal of that season on August 22, 2010. He scored two goals in one game on October 2, 2010, and two more goals a week later. Overall, he played 29 games and scored 11 goals that season. From 2009 to 2011, Meunier played 52 games for Virton and scored 15 goals.
Time at Club Brugge
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In January 2011, Club Brugge signed Meunier for 200,000 euros. He officially joined the team in the summer of 2011. He was given the number 19 shirt.
Meunier played his first game for Club Brugge on July 31, 2011, and even scored a goal. He quickly became an important player, often playing in midfield. He signed a new contract to stay with the club until 2016. In his first season, he played 49 games and scored 5 goals.
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At the start of the 2012–13 season, Meunier scored in the first four league matches. He started as a right-wing player. Later, he began playing as a right-back, which is a defensive position. He said he was happy to play wherever the team needed him. He played 28 games and scored 4 goals that season.
In the 2013–14 season, Meunier had surgery for a groin injury and was out until September. When he returned, he quickly got his right-back spot back. His good play caught the eye of other clubs, but he stayed with Club Brugge. He scored his first goal of the season in February 2014. He also scored two goals in one game in March 2014. He played 33 games and scored three goals that season.
The 2014–15 season started well for Meunier. He played in every game as a right-back until he got injured in December. He scored his first goal of the season in November 2014. In January 2015, he signed a new contract until 2019. He also helped Club Brugge win the Belgian Cup in 2015, which was their first cup win since 2007. He played 46 games and scored two goals. He was even named Footballer of the Year for his great performance.
Before the 2015–16 season, many clubs wanted to sign Meunier, but he said he wanted to stay at Club Brugge. He scored his first goal of the season in September 2015. He also scored in the UEFA Europa League twice. He even captained Club Brugge for the first time in November 2015. He helped the club win the league title that season. He played 42 games and scored six goals.
When Meunier first joined Club Brugge, he played as a striker or right winger. But his coaches later changed him into a right back. This happened because other players in that position were injured or had left the team.
Joining Paris Saint-Germain
On July 3, 2016, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced that Meunier had joined them on a four-year deal. The transfer fee was about 7 million euros. He was a bit unsure about joining PSG at first, worrying he might not get enough playing time.
Meunier scored two goals in a friendly match against Real Madrid in July 2016, helping PSG win 3–1.
First Season at PSG (2016–17)
Meunier made his first official appearance for PSG on August 6, 2016. He later made his league debut on August 28, 2016. He often had to compete with another player, Serge Aurier, for the right-back position.
After a knee injury, Meunier returned and scored his first league goal for PSG on October 1, 2016. On November 1, 2016, he scored a fantastic winning goal in a Champions League match against Basel. This goal was so good that he was named to the UEFA Team of the Week.
He scored another league goal in December 2016. He played more games in January 2017 because Aurier was away playing for his national team. In February, he played a full game and helped PSG win 4–0 against Barcelona in the Champions League. However, PSG lost the next game to Barcelona and were knocked out of the competition. Meunier played 36 games and scored two goals in his first season.
Second Season at PSG (2017–18)
In the summer of 2017, Premier League club Chelsea tried to sign Meunier, but PSG said no. Even though another right-back, Dani Alves, joined PSG, Meunier still worked hard for his spot.
Meunier made his first league appearance of the season on August 25, 2017. He scored his first goal of the season on September 30, 2017. On October 14, 2017, he scored both of PSG's goals in a 2–1 win against Dijon.
In December 2017, he helped set up two goals in a 4–2 win. He scored again in January 2018 in a cup semi-final. He also scored his fourth goal of the season in March 2018. He played more games as a right-back when Dani Alves was injured. On May 8, 2018, PSG won the Coupe de France. Meunier also won his first league title with PSG that season. He played 34 games and scored 5 goals.
Later Seasons at PSG (2018–20)
On September 18, 2018, Meunier scored a goal in a Champions League game against Liverpool. He played his last game for PSG on March 4, 2020, in a cup semi-final.
Moving to Borussia Dortmund
On June 25, 2020, Meunier joined Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He signed a four-year contract as a free agent, meaning Dortmund did not have to pay a transfer fee.
Trabzonspor and Lille
In February 2024, Meunier moved to Trabzonspor in Turkey. Then, on July 19, 2024, he returned to France to join Lille on a two-year contract.
International Career
Youth Teams
Meunier played for the Belgium U15 team. He was first called up to the Belgium U21 team in February 2011. He made his U21 debut on August 9, 2011. On September 6, 2011, he scored his first U21 goal. He played seven games for the Belgium U21 team and scored one goal.
Playing for Belgium's Senior Team
Meunier was called up to the Belgium national team for the first time in November 2013. He made his debut in a friendly match against Colombia. He played in a few more friendly games but was not chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.
After missing the World Cup, he was called up again in November 2014. He played in a 3–1 win against Iceland.
Meunier was part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2016. He played as a right-back and helped his team keep clean sheets in several games. He also set up a goal in a 3–0 win against Republic of Ireland. He played five games in the Euro 2016 tournament.
On November 13, 2016, Meunier scored his first goal for the senior national team in an 8–1 win against Estonia. On August 31, 2017, he scored his first international hat-trick (three goals) in a huge 9–0 win against Gibraltar. He also had four assists in that game. He finished the 2018 World Cup qualifying games with five goals and seven assists.
Meunier was chosen for Belgium's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was the main right midfielder. He played his first World Cup game in a 3–0 win against Panama. He also helped set up goals in wins against Tunisia and Japan. After a win against Brazil, he missed the semi-finals because of a yellow card. On July 14, 2018, Meunier returned and scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against England in the third-place play-off. This was Belgium's best-ever World Cup finish.
On June 12, 2021, Meunier came on as a substitute in a Euro 2020 group stage match against Russia. He scored Belgium's second goal, becoming the first player ever to score a first-half goal after coming on as a substitute in the UEFA European Championship.
About Thomas Meunier's Life
When Thomas Meunier was growing up, his favorite footballer was Ronaldo from Brazil. He liked Ronaldo's style of play and how he dribbled the ball.
Thomas had a challenging childhood. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and he started a new life with his mother and sister. While playing for Virton, he worked part-time at a car factory and as a postman. He also earned a diploma from school.
Outside of football, Thomas is a fan of art. He has even opened a food business in his hometown of Bastogne. He has also thought about becoming a baker after his football career ends.
Meunier can speak several languages fluently, including French, Flemish, English, and German.
Thomas Meunier is in a relationship with Deborah Panzokou, whom he has known since high school. They have two sons. Their first son, Landrys, was born in December 2015. Their second son was born in April 2018.
Honours and Achievements
Club Brugge
- Belgian Pro League: 2015–16
- Belgian Cup: 2014–15
Paris Saint Germain
- Ligue 1: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
- Coupe de France: 2017–18, 2019–20
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
- Trophée des Champions: 2016, 2017, 2019
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2020–21
Belgium
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
Individual Awards
- Godefroid of Honour: 2016
- Marca/Forbes World Cup All-Star team: 2018
Images for kids
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Meunier with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019
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Meunier in his early Club Brugge career, in 2011
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Meunier in 2012
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Meunier playing for Belgium at the FIFA World Cup in Russia
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Meunier para niños
