Thomas Vermaelen facts for kids
Vermaelen with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 November 1985 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kapellen, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back, Left-back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1999 | Germinal Ekeren | |||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Germinal Beerschot | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2009 | Ajax | 97 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | → RKC Waalwijk (loan) | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2014 | Arsenal | 110 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2019 | Barcelona | 34 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Roma (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Vissel Kobe | 45 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 308 | (24) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Belgium U18 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Belgium U19 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Belgium U21 | 12 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2021 | Belgium | 85 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Belgium (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Thomas Vermaelen (born 14 November 1985) is a former professional footballer from Belgium. He played as a defender. He was left-footed and usually played as a central defender on the left side. He could also play as a left-back. Thomas was known for being good in the air, having strong leadership skills, and being quick with the ball. He was also known for scoring goals as a defender.
Vermaelen joined the Ajax youth team in 2000. He won a league title in his first season with the club. After a loan spell, he returned to Ajax and won the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield. He became the team captain in 2009. He then moved to Arsenal in 2009. He was even named in the best team of the league that season. In 2012, he became Arsenal's captain. In 2014, he joined Barcelona in Spain. He later played for Vissel Kobe in Japan before retiring in 2021.
Thomas Vermaelen played for the Belgian national team starting in 2006. He played in the 2008 Olympics, where Belgium finished fourth. He also played in the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018. Belgium came third in the 2018 World Cup. He also played in the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2021.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Thomas Vermaelen was born in Kapellen, Belgium. He started playing football in his home country. His first youth club was Germinal Ekeren. This club later became Germinal Beerschot.
Time at Ajax
Vermaelen joined the youth academy of the Dutch club Ajax. He played his first professional game on 15 February 2004. It was an away game against FC Volendam, which Ajax won 2–0.
He became a key player when he returned to Ajax. He helped them win the KNVB Cup. His good performances led to him being called up to the Belgium national football team. Ajax also won the Johan Cruyff Shield and another KNVB Cup the next season. In 2007, they won the Johan Cruyff Shield again. He played well with other defenders like John Heitinga and Jan Vertonghen. He became captain of Ajax for part of the 2008–09 season. During this time, he often played as a left-back.
Playing for Arsenal
Joining the Gunners
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Thomas Vermaelen joined Arsenal from Ajax on 19 June 2009. He signed a four-year contract. He took the number 5 jersey. He became a central defender for Arsenal alongside William Gallas. Vermaelen played his first Premier League game on 15 August 2009. Arsenal won 6–1 against Everton, and he scored a goal in that game. He was the 84th Arsenal player to score in their first game. He also scored two goals against Wigan Athletic in a 4–0 win.
Arsenal fans liked him a lot and even called him the "Verminator." He was known for scoring goals as a defender. He was nominated for the Belgian Sportsman of the Year award. He was also chosen for the best team of the season in the Premier League. He played 45 games and scored eight goals that season.
Dealing with Injuries
In the 2010–11 season, Vermaelen was a captain for Arsenal in some games. However, he got an Achilles tendon injury while playing for Belgium. This injury kept him out of action for a long time. He missed most of the season. He finally returned to play in a game against Aston Villa in May 2011.
Becoming Vice-Captain
After Cesc Fàbregas left in August 2011, Vermaelen became Arsenal's vice-captain. Robin van Persie was named captain. Vermaelen had more treatment for his Achilles tendon. He signed a new contract to stay with Arsenal for four more years. He returned to play in a League Cup game against Bolton Wanderers. He captained the team to a 2–1 victory.
He scored Arsenal's second goal in a 3–0 win against West Bromwich Albion. He also scored an own goal against Fulham but then scored an equalizer in the same game. He scored another goal against Wigan. In March 2012, he scored a winning goal in the last minute against Newcastle United. He ran the whole length of the field to score. His manager, Arsène Wenger, called him a strong defender.
Leading the Team
In August 2012, Vermaelen was named Arsenal's new captain. This happened after Robin van Persie moved to Manchester United.
In December 2012, Vermaelen missed a penalty kick in a League Cup shootout against Bradford City. Arsenal lost the game. He had scored an equalizing goal earlier in the match. After some difficult games, he was not chosen to start in a big Champions League game. However, he got back into the team later in the season.
Winning a Trophy
On 17 May 2014, Vermaelen won his only trophy with Arsenal. He was a substitute in the team's 3–2 win over Hull City in the 2014 FA Cup Final.
Moving to Barcelona
On 9 August 2014, Arsenal agreed to sell Vermaelen to Barcelona. He signed a five-year contract. Vermaelen faced many injuries after joining Barcelona. He had surgery for a hamstring injury in December 2014. He finally made his debut for Barcelona on 23 May 2015. It was the last league game of the season against Deportivo de La Coruña.
In his second season, on 29 August 2015, Vermaelen scored his first goal for Barcelona. He scored the winning goal against Málaga. His manager, Luis Enrique, praised him. In December, he was a substitute when Barcelona won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final in Japan.
Loan to Roma
On 8 August 2016, Vermaelen was loaned to Roma in Italy for one year. He played his first game for Roma on 18 August 2016. However, he was sent off (given a red card) after only 41 minutes. He played very few minutes for Roma due to injuries. He returned to Barcelona at the end of the season.
Back at Barcelona
On 26 November 2017, Vermaelen started for Barcelona in a 1–1 draw against Valencia. He played well and kept his place in the team for several games. This included Barcelona's 3–0 win against their rivals Real Madrid.
Playing in Japan
On 27 July 2019, Vermaelen signed a contract with J1 League team Vissel Kobe in Japan. He joined his former teammates Andrés Iniesta and Sergi Samper there. He also played with former Arsenal teammate Lukas Podolski. On 1 January 2020, Vermaelen won his first trophy in Japan. Vissel Kobe won the 2019 Emperor's Cup final.
In February 2020, he was part of a penalty shootout where many players missed their shots. He scored his first goal for the club in May 2020. On 21 January 2022, Thomas Vermaelen announced his retirement as a player. He then joined the Belgium national team as an assistant coach.
International Career
Vermaelen played for Belgium's youth teams before joining the senior national team. He played in the U-19 and U-21 European Championships. He made his senior debut for Belgium at age 20 in March 2006. In October 2009, he was named Belgium captain for some World Cup qualifying games. He scored his first goal for Belgium in November 2009.
He was part of Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started in a game against Russia but had to leave due to an injury. He also played in the UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2021. Belgium finished third in the 2018 World Cup.
Personal Life
In 2012, Thomas Vermaelen started dating Polly Parsons. She is an English model and TV presenter. They have two sons named Raff and Ace. Thomas and Polly got married in June 2017.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 2003–04 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 24 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 23 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Eredivisie | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 42 | 5 | |||
| Total | 97 | 7 | 11 | 1 | — | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 133 | 9 | |||
| Waalwijk (loan) | 2004–05 | Eredivisie | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | |||||
| Arsenal | 2009–10 | Premier League | 33 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | 45 | 8 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 29 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 40 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| Total | 110 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 1 | — | 150 | 15 | |||
| Barcelona | 2014–15 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | La Liga | 10 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 14 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 34 | 1 | 10 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 1 | |||
| Roma (loan) | 2016–17 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Vissel Kobe | 2019 | J1 League | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | J1 League | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2021 | J1 League | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Total | 45 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 308 | 24 | 36 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 66 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 420 | 28 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2006 | 6 | 0 |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 85 | 2 | |
- Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Vermaelen goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 November 2009 | Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent, Belgium |  Hungary |
2–0 |
|
Friendly |
| 2 | 9 September 2019 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland |
2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
Honours and Awards
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2003–04
- KNVB Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2006, 2007
Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2013–14
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Copa del Rey: 2015–16, 2017–18
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2015
Vissel Kobe
- Emperor's Cup: 2019
- Japanese Super Cup: 2020
Belgium
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
Individual Awards
- AFC Ajax Talent of the Year: 2006
- AFC Ajax Club of 100: 2009
- Best Belgian Player Abroad: 2009
- PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Vermaelen para niños
