Dries Mertens

Now Belgian Dries Mertens plays for the Italian club Napoli and participates in international matches of the country's national team. He won bronze medals at the 2018 World Cup, demonstrating his fighting qualities and technical skills.

Dries Mertens was born in Leuven on May 6, 1987 and, together with his older brother, was brought up in an educated, intelligent family. He respected the traditions of his ancestors who were Flemish by nationality, and from an early age he knew the heroes who lived on Belgian soil.

The mother of the future football player worked at the university at the medical department of neurology, and his father was a physical education teacher who sincerely loved sports. Under his influence, boys from childhood tried to show their own abilities, because in each type of activity they aimed only at a record.

The family closely monitored their health, so the children went to the sections, pulled themselves up, did push-ups, ran and sometimes played football. At the age of 5, Drys got into the Stade Leuven team, where older guys trained, and soon he had the first most memorable goal on his account.

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Thanks to the talented mentors, Mertens became seriously interested in sports and in his school years, after lessons, he immediately went to the stadium. The father, who watched the development of his son, thought that he had a great future, but did not know that a professional and champion would grow out of the boy.

In 1998, the Belgian, together with Denis Odoi, entered the Anderlecht academy, hoping to someday get into the club. But over time, due to the height of 169 cm and weight of 61 kg, he was unable to gain a foothold in any of the youth groups.

The coaches expelled the guy, putting an end to his future, and this unfair decision was announced by the head of the school, Werner Derav. Hugo Brss, who worked with the team, later condemned the decision, saying that the short-sighted leader was fundamentally wrong.

Mertens was upset, but not discouraged, and entered a specialized college to become a physical education teacher, continuing his father's life work. He settled in East Flanders and joined amateur footballers who occasionally played on the field of the student's indoor palace.

In one of the friendly matches, Dries took a liking to Etienne De Vispelard, the coach of the youth squad of the Belgian youth club "Gent". After negotiations with managers and management, Mertens was invited to a trial training, and he showed himself to the maximum, so as not to miss a vital moment.

In his youth, Mertens met a girl Katrin Kerkhofs from Belgium, who won the heart of a football player and entered his personal life for a long time. Over the 10-year period of courtship, the guy learned the character of his beloved and realized that he had to be ready to fulfill any smallest whim.

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Katrin's father studied music and made a fortune on this, having brought up in his daughter a love of luxury, comfort and country houses. The natural blonde followed in the footsteps of a parent popular in Europe and, taking up singing and dancing, joined the bohemian circles.

In 2015, she became the wife of Dries, feeling that the talented football player had the ability and potential. Since then, judging by the photos on Instagram, in which the couple is captured together, the life of the native of Leuven has become like a carnival.

At the beginning of 2005, Mertens became a member of the adult "Gent", but never came out in the fighting lineup, despite the fact that he had already played for the "youth team" of the country. Etienne de Vispelard, who left the club for Endracht Aalst, invited Dries to the team from the third division, deciding that he needed such people.

The talented Leuven native was named the best player in the club, showing good preparation and delighting the teachers. This contributed to the conclusion of the first professional contract with AGOVV Apeldoorn from the Netherlands, where he found new friends.

Working productively with Nasser Schadli from the African state of Morocco, the Belgian, under the guidance of experienced coaches, had a productive season. He became team captain, having distinguished himself in early 2007, when mentor John van der Brom took over the Dutch leadership.

Taking part in 108 matches with very indicative statistics, Mertens interested the eminent clubs Alkmar Zanstrek and Gronigen. But he signed a contract for € 600 thousand with the Dutch “Utrecht”, in which such stars as Jan Wauters and Wim van Hanegem played.

Having become the core of the professional team, which was the middle peasant of the major league, Drys made his debut in UEFA competitions with the Silver Boot prize. In the 2010 Europa League, he showed outstanding technique and scored three quick beautiful goals against the opponents.

The bomber with the increased value attracted the attention of the leaders of the Eredivisie, and a promising agreement with the eminent Amsterdam club Ajax was brewing. But in the end, Drys was left without a red and white T-shirt and moved to PSV from Einhoven, a decision that earned the respect of the interested fans.

In the new team, the Belgian has become a master of effective passes and hat-tricks, helping footballers in striped uniforms to win the national cup. In the summer of 2013, Napoli coach Rafael Benitos decided to lure the scorer regardless of the price.

Mertens signed a contract with the Italians, agreeing to be a substitute winger, because the starting lineup included Lorenzo Insigne and José Callejón. But the Belgian still managed to hit the gate 11 times, and thanks to this, the Neapolitans had a brilliant season.

Dries did not like sitting on the bench, so he considered promising proposals, but when the coach changed in the team, he decided to wait with the transitions. Maurizio Sarri, who headed Napoli, realized that Mertens is useful in attack and is able to score a lot and often from the base.

Having received the place of the central striker, the footballer reached the peak of his form, managing to play matches for the national team of his country. In a poll held in Belgium, he overtook Eden Azar, who was in the status of a talented sports star.

In high spirits, the forward was preparing for the 2018 World Cup, held in Russian cities under the auspices of the international organization FIFA. He became part of the attacking triangle created by coach Roberto Martinez, who scored 22 important goals in the qualifying stage of the competition.

In the 2018/2019 season, Mertens played for Napoli, making sure that his contract with the club was renewed for 2020. But the new mentor Carlo Ancelotti put the Belgian on the bench, trying, according to experts, to provoke his early departure.

The Belgian does not comment on the situation, remaining a valuable member of the team, but there are rumors that the top English division is interested in him. In the summer, Drys becomes free of Italian obligations.

In the club "PSV"

2012 - Dutch Cup Winner 2012 - Dutch Super Cup Winner

In the club "Napoli"

2014 - Italian Cup Winner 2014 - Italian Super Cup Winner

In the Belgium national team

2018 - bronze medalist of the World Championship

Dries Mertens ' s estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below.

Let's check, How Rich is Dries Mertens in 2020 ?

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2021

Dries Mertens ' s revenue is $ 1.3M in 2021. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $ 878.1K - $ 1.8M.

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2020

Dries Mertens 's revenue is $1.3M in 2020. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $514.7K - $1.1M.

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2019

Dries Mertens 's revenue is $1.5M in 2019. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $623.3K - $1.4M.

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2018

Dries Mertens 's revenue is $1.6M in 2018. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $613.4K - $1.3M.

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2017

Dries Mertens 's revenue is $1.6M in 2017. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $612.3K - $1.2M.

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2016

Dries Mertens 's revenue is $1.1M in 2016. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $834K - $1.5M.

Dries Mertens Net Worth 2015

Dries Mertens 's revenue is $1M in 2015. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Dries Mertens and could vary in the range between $631.9K - $1.5M.

It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Dries Mertens. The evaluation covers the latest 5 years and an approximation for next year. See above to learn how much money does Dries Mertens makes a year.

The range above shows an estimation based on evaluation generated by public information about sponsorships or other sources found on the internet. It's summarized data from Dries Mertens's projects existing in AidWiki's repository. It's an approximation of the revenue compiled by AidWiki and may not correspond with the real amount.