The Belgian forward, Dries Mertens, has decided to stop playing professional football at the age of 38 and a career that was highlighted by incredible achievements spanning two decades.
The Galatasaray forward, whose contract will terminate this June, went public on Sunday night through social media by saying, “I am quitting football, but I will still play one last game for you,” referring to the charity match for the ex-Napoli player Marek Hamsik that will take place in July and Hamsik being the organizer of this event.
Mertens has represented Belgium 109 times and scored 21 goals. He was also the leader of the Belgian team at several major tournaments, with the last one being the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
At first stages in Belgium and the Netherlands, he has shown impressive performance at FC Utrecht and PSV Eindhoven. Mertens became a well-known football player after his time at Napoli. During the period of 2013-2022, he broke the record of the most goals scored by a club in Napoli’s 148 goals in 397 matches. He was the most loved by the fans of Napoli as he was fondly called “Ciro,” which was actually the name he gave to his son.
He finished his career in Galatasaray where he won three Turkish Super Lig titles and crowned with the domestic double in 2025, making him one of Europe’s most consistent attackers.
