Vermeeren with Royal Antwerp in 2023
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| 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 | 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) |
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*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 | |||
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
| 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 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 58 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 3 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Royal Antwerp
Individual
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Atlético Madrid – current squad
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