Dries Mertens

Opel Astra


He used to drive an Astra. He has come a long way, and we're sure he drives a more sophisticated car now.

Born in Leuven, Belgium, this 90s kid began playing football with his hometown club Stade Leuven. As a youth, he'd also spend time in the academies of Anderlecht and Gent. We're quite surprised by the fact that the people responsible in Gent didn't see his true potential, although he came through their system. His entire senior career with Gent was spent away on loan spells, a year each to be precise, with the now-defunct Eendracht Aalst in the Belgian third division and AGOVV Apeldoorn in the Dutch second division. He showed his panache for goal scoring even early in his career. He was considered to be more of a winger or even a playmaker than a centre-forward. His performances did not go unseen, subsequently earning him a transfer to the Eredivisie team Utrecht. He spent a couple of seasons with them before transferring to Eindhoven to play for PSV. His true potential began to show here, and he was sold to Napoli a couple of seasons later. This was in the year 2013, and he has gone on to confirm himself a place in the history of Napoli with his performances. Although representing Belgium in only the Under-17 levels, he has been a full time senior with their squad since 2011. He has played in three major tournaments for his country and helped them finish third in the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup.