Arthur Vermeeren

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.

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[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 5 (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 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:58, 25 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 June 2024

Club career

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 25 May 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Royal Antwerp II 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 61———61
Royal Antwerp 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 261602[lower-alpha 2]000341
2023–24 211207[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 4]0311
Total 472809010652
Atlético Madrid 2023–24 La Liga 500000—50
Career total 583809010763
  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 5 June 2024[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 202320
202420
Total40

Honours

Royal Antwerp

Individual

References
  1. "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.
  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.
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