Arthur Vermeeren

Arthur Vermeeren
Vermeeren with Royal Antwerp in 2023
Personal information
Full name Arthur Denis Vermeeren[1]
Date of birth (2005-02-07) 7 February 2005 (age 19)[1]
Place of birth Lier, Belgium
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Atlético Madrid
Number 18
Youth career
2018–2022 Royal Antwerp
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022 Royal Antwerp II 6 (1)
2022–2024 Royal Antwerp 47 (2)
2024– Atlético Madrid 3 (0)
International career
2021–2022 Belgium U17 10 (0)
2022 Belgium U18 3 (0)
2023– Belgium U19 3 (0)
2023– Belgium U21 1 (0)
2023– Belgium 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:18, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2024

Arthur Denis Vermeeren (born 7 February 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Belgium national team.

Club career

Antwerp

2022–23 season

Vermeeren made his professional debut for Royal Antwerp as a second half substitute in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League at home in Antwerp at the Bosuilstadion in a 2–0 second leg win against Lillestrøm SK on 11 August 2022.[3] He told the media after his debut that he could not have imagined a better debut.[4] He received praise from coach Mark Van Bommel who was quoted as saying “Arthur is a smart footballer, a fun guy to work with. He is eager to learn and show he can play. So he will get some playing time. He enjoyed it, I think. It's nice to see."[5]

In April 2023, Vermeeren was a starter in the 2023 Belgian Cup Final as Antwerp defeated KV Mechelen 2–0.[6] On 14 May, he scored his first goal for Antwerp in a 3–2 win over Club Brugge during the Champions' play-off.[7]

2023–24 season

On 23 July 2023, Vermeeren was a starter in the Belgian Super Cup as Antwerp defeated KV Mechelen on penalty kicks.[8] On 19 September, he made his Champions League debut in a 5–0 defeat against Barcelona.[9] On 13 December, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–2 victory in the return leg against the same opponent.[10] Vermeeren was awarded Man of the Match for his performance, and in the post-match interview told reporters "Today a dream came true. I am very happy and I hope I have made my family proud.".[11] Vermeeren ended his season at Antwerp with 8 G/A in 32 games in all competitions. Prior to his departure from the club, he made 64 consecutive starts across all competitions for the club, playing 99.4% of the available minutes during that run.[12]

Atlético Madrid

On 26 January 2024, Vermeeren joined La Liga club Atlético Madrid on a six-and-a-half-year contract.[13] The deal reportedly included a €18 million transfer fee, with up to €5 million in add-ons, and Royal Antwerp keeping a 10% sell-on clause.[14]

International career

Vermeeren played for the Belgian youth teams, in which he featured for the Belgium U17 in the 2022 European Under-17 Championship.[15] On 13 October 2023, he made his debut for the senior Belgium national team, coming off the bench in the 87th minute to substitute Johan Bakayoko, in a 3–2 away win over Austria during the Euro 2024 qualifying.[16]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 March 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Royal Antwerp II 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 6 1 6 1
Royal Antwerp 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 26 1 6 0 2[b] 0 0 0 34 1
2023–24 21 1 2 0 7[c] 0 1[d] 0 31 1
Total 47 2 8 0 9 0 1 0 65 2
Atlético Madrid 2023–24 La Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Career total 56 3 8 0 9 0 1 0 74 3
  1. ^ Includes Belgian Cup
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup

International

As of match played 23 March 2024[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Belgium 2023 2 0
2024 1 0
Total 3 0

Honours

Royal Antwerp

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "A. Vermeeren: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ https://www.atleticodemadrid.com/jugadores/arthur-vermeeren-2023-2024
  3. ^ "ANTWERP VS LILLESTROM 2-0". Soccerway.
  4. ^ "Droomavond voor Antwerps jeugdproduct Arthur Vermeeren (17): "Ik kon me geen beter debuut voorstellen"". gva.be.
  5. ^ "Conference League - Van Bommel: "Nous avons fait ce que nous devions faire"". wwww.lalibre.be.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Calcoen, Pieter-Jan (2 May 2023). "After the Croky Cup, Antwerp's strong man is not satisfied: Paul Gheysens wants to be the best in all areas". hbvl.be. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Arthur Vermeeren's first professional goal completes dramatic Antwerb comeback". OneFootball. 15 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Antwerp wint nu ook de Supercup! KV Mechelen plooit pas na strafschoppen" (in Dutch). sporza.be. 23 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Arthur Vermeeren: Why Barcelona, Arsenal & other European giants want Belgian teenager". 90min.com. 12 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Royal Antwerp 3–2 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 13 December 2023.
  11. ^ UEFA.com. "Antwerp-Barcelona: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Group stage". UEFA.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. ^ Harris, Thom (3 February 2024). "Five left-field European transfers you may have missed in the January window". The Athletic. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Welcome, Vermeeren!". Atlético Madrid. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  14. ^ "All the details as Atlético Madrid confirm Arthur Vermeeren capture". OneFootball. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Fofana, Mawete, Monticelli : 3 pépites belges à suivre durant l'Euro U17" (in French). RTBF. 12 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Austria 2–3 Belgium". beIN SPORTS. 13 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Arthur Vermeeren". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Geen schoonheidsprijs, wel een vierde beker: Antwerp maakt favorietenrol waar tegen KV Mechelen" (in Dutch). Sporza. 30 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Antwerp wint nu ook de Supercup! KV Mechelen plooit pas na strafschoppen" (in Dutch). Sporza. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  20. ^ Geypen, Diederik (18 January 2024). "Na 'Jonge Profvoetballer van het Jaar' is Arthur Vermeeren nu ook 'Belofte van het Jaar'" (in Dutch). gva.be.
  21. ^ "Toby Alderweireld zet kroon op Antwerpse feestavond met Gouden Schoen, Tessa Wullaert wint vierde bij de vrouwen" (in Dutch). Sporza. 18 January 2024.


External links