Dry Mertens is considered one of the best attacking players in the European leagues. He flaunted his versatility under Sarri as he excelled in the role of centre-forward in the free-flowing Napoli side. He has achieved hero status in Naples due to his immense performances in Napoli’s bid to win an elusive Scudetto. His loyalty to the club rather than moving to European giants has boosted his popularity to the cult level of Italy’s third largest city.

Born name

Dries Mertens

nickname

dries

Sun sign

Trails

Place of birth

Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium

Residence

Naples, Campania, Italy

nationality

training

Dries Mertens began his football journey with youth development at the local club, Stade Leuven . After two years, he joined the academy Anderlecht After his release by Anderlecht in 2003, he was signed by the youth academy of another Belgian giant. Ghent .

occupation

Professional soccer player

family

• Father – Herman Mertens
• Mutter – Marijke Mertens
• Siblings – unknown

Manager

Dries Mertens is represented by Søren Lerby of Stirr Associates.

Position

Winger, Striker

Shirt Number

11 – FC Utrecht, Belgium national team

14 – PSV Eindhoven, SSC Napoli, Belgium national team

To build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 6½ inches or 169 cm

weight

58 kg or 128 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Dries Mertens has dated

1. Katrin Kerkhofs (2015-Present) – Dries Mertens is online nowBelgian model and TV personality Katrin Kerkhofs. They married in June 2015 in a lavish wedding ceremony. It was reported that they broke up for a short time and managed to get back together in 2016.

race/ethnicity

White

hair colour

Blond

eye color

hazel

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

Medium beard with stubble

brand promotion

Dries Mertens has a personal endorsement deal with Nike as well as having to wear the cleats during his football matches for his club and national team.

Known for

• To be one of the best attacking players in the Italian league. He has been delivering brilliant performances for SSC Napoli since 2013.
• Being a key member of the Belgium national team 11. He has been in the national team at a high level for over 8 years.

First football game

He made his professional debut in 2005 with Belgian football club, Eendracht Aalst . He had been loaned out to the 3rd division by Gent and proved to be a key player for them. He was even named player of the year.

In August 2011 he made his first appearance for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven in a game against AZ Alkmaar. He scored his team’s only goal in a 1–3 loss.

In August 2013, he made his Serie A debut for Napoli in a 3–0 win over Bologna. He was used by Rafa Benitez as a substitute for Marek Hamsik in the second half.

In February 2011 he made his international debut for Belgium in a friendly against Finland.

Strengthen

• speed
• Dribbling
• Complete
• long shots
• Front check
• Crossing
• Vision
• pass
• Technical ability

weaknesses

• Lack of Power
• short height
• dogfights
• Defensive work rate

Dries Mertens facts

1. Before joining PSV, he was signed for the transfer of Ajax, another Dutch giants. They wanted Mertens to replace Luis Suarez who had moved to Liverpool. However, their offer was rejected.
2. In June 2011, PSV paid a combined fee of €13m to bring Mertens and Kevin Strootman from Utrecht to the club.
3. He was sacked by Anderlecht because youth team coaches believed he was too small and unable to handle the physical condition at a professional level.
4. Towards the end of the 2011–12 season, erin was involved in a horrible collision with Heracles goalkeeper Remko Pasveer while trying to score. He lost a number of teeth when he collided with Pasveer, who found one of Merten’s teeth in his head three weeks after the collision. However, he managed to score the goal.
5. In June 2013 he was signed for the first time by Rafael Benitez as Napoli manager. The Naples-based club had paid money to avail its services.
6. In October 2013 he scored his first goal for Napoli when he scored the winner in the Serie A game against Fiorentina.
7. After Arkadiusz, Milik suffered a serious knee injury from injury, Maurizio Sarri chose to play Mertens at the forefront of his attack. He responded with 28 goals in 35 games as his side finished third.
8. In December 2016 he was named Belgian Footballer of the Year. He managed to beat the competition from Radja Nainggolan and Eden Hazard.
9. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he scored his side’s first goal when he landed a stunning volley from the left side of the box.
10. With Napoli he won the Coppa Italia Cup at the end of 2013/14. He scored his side’s last goal in the 3-1 win over Fiorentina. He also won the Supercoppa Italiana early the following season.
11. Visit his official website @ driesmertens.be.
12. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.