Dylan Mertens
 Dylan Mertens in 2025. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 July 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shafa Baku | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | SDW | ||
| 2005–2006 | DWS | ||
| 2006–2008 | AFC | ||
| 2008–2010 | Utrecht | ||
| 2010–2011 | AFC | ||
| 2011–2013 | Argon | ||
| 2013–2014 | FC Den Bosch | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | Volendam | 38 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Telstar | 19 | (2) |
| 2019 | TOP Oss | 1 | (0) |
| 2020 | Koninklijke HFC | 4 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Tsarsko Selo Sofia | 25 | (1) |
| 2021–2024 | Botev Plovdiv | 66 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | Fakel Voronezh | 27 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Telstar | 20 | (0) |
| 2026– | Shafa | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:22, 17 May 2026 (UTC) | |||
Dylan Mertens (born 20 July 1995) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Azerbaijan Premier League club Shafa.[1]
Career
[edit]Youth
[edit]Mertens was born in Amsterdam. He played for SDW, DWS and AFC before joining the FC Utrecht Youth Academy in 2008. Two years later he had to leave and decided to return to AFC. His return was not for long and after one season he moved to SV Argon. In the summer of 2013 he made the move to FC Den Bosch, where he played with the A1 (Under 19).
FC Volendam
[edit]In the preparation of the 2014–15 season, Mertens joined FC Volendam on an amateur basis.[2] That season, he played 15 matches in the second team in which he scored 4 times. He also made it to the match selection of the first team two times, but didn't make his debut. On 30 March 2015, he signed his first professional contract with FC Volendam, until mid 2017.[3]
In the summer of 2015, Mertens joined the first team. On 7 August 2015, he made his debut for FC Volendam in the league match against NAC Breda (4–1 win). He replaced Rafik El Hamdi after 79 minutes.[4] On 18 September 2015, he scored his first goal for FC Volendam, the opening goal in a 2–0 win against Helmond Sport.[5] In February 2016, Mertens extended his contract at FC Volendam until mid 2018.[6]
In the preparation of the 2016–17 season, Mertens tore off his ACL and was unable to play for the rest of the season.[7] On 29 April 2017, 10 months later, he made his comeback in a match of Jong FC Volendam against FC Rijnvogels.
Telstar
[edit]On 21 June 2018, Mertens signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional season with Eerste Divisie club Telstar.[8] He made 19 appearances in the 2018–19 season, scoring twice.[1]
TOP Oss
[edit]On 8 August 2019, it was announced that Mertens had signed a contract until the summer 2020 with TOP Oss.[9] However, after a disappointing start on the season, the club announced on 17 October 2019, that Mertens was one of three players that had left the club.[10]
Fakel Voronezh
[edit]In June 2024, Mertens joined Russian Premier League side Fakel Voronezh.[11] He left Fakel at the conclusion of the 2024–25 season, following Fakel's relegation.[12]
Return to Telstar
[edit]In early July 2025, Mertens returned to Telstar for a trial ahead of the club's first Eredivisie season since 1978, having previously represented them in the 2018–19 season.[13] During pre-season, he addressed public questions about his spell in Russia following the country's 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that he had weighed the decision carefully and that everyday life and league matches had continued as normal while he was there.[14] On 8 August, he signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional season, becoming Telstar's 18th contracted professional player in accordance with Eredivisie roster regulations.[15]
He made his second debut for the club on 10 August, replacing Tyrese Noslin in the 76th minute of a 2–0 away defeat to Ajax, and made his first start on 20 September in a 2–0 loss to Groningen.[16][17] He made 20 league appearances, mainly as a substitute, and left at the end of the season when his contract was not renewed.[18]
Shafa Baku
[edit]On 9 July 2026, Mertens signed with recently promoted Azerbaijan Premier League club Shafa.[19][20]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 8 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Volendam | 2014–15 | Eerste Divisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Eerste Divisie | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Eerste Divisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Eerste Divisie | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 38 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| Jong Volendam | 2016–17 | Derde Divisie | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Derde Divisie | 22 | 10 | — | — | 1[b] | 0 | 23 | 10 | |||
| Total | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 10 | ||
| Telstar | 2018–19 | Eerste Divisie | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||
| TOP Oss | 2019–20 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Koninklijke | 2019–20 | Tweede Divisie | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| Tsarsko Selo | 2020–21 | Bulgarian First League | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 1 | ||
| Botev Plovdiv | 2021–22 | Bulgarian First League | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Bulgarian First League | 26 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bulgarian First League | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 4 | |||
| Total | 66 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 6 | ||
| Fakel Voronezh | 2024–25 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| Telstar | 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| Shafa | 2026–27 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 224 | 20 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 247 | 22 | ||
- ↑ Includes KNVB Beker, Bulgarian Cup, Russian Cup
- ↑ Appearance in the promotion play-offs
- ↑ Appearance in the Bulgarian First League UECL play-offs
- ↑ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
References
[edit]- 1 2 Dylan Mertens at WorldFootball.net
- ↑ Hans de Koning stelt de nieuwkomers voor groot-waterland.nl, 5 August 2014
- ↑ FC Volendam legt weer twee Zaanse talenten vast Zaans Soccer Talent, 4 May 2015
- ↑ Game Report by Soccerway
- ↑ Game Report by Soccerway
- ↑ FC Volendam breekt contract van Dylan Mertens open FC Volendam, 10 February 2016
- ↑ Drama voor Dylan Mertens FC Volendam, 12 July 2016
- ↑ "Dylan Mertens is een Witte Leeuw" [Dylan Mertens is a White Lion]. SC Telstar (in Dutch). 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018.
- ↑ Dennis Hettinga en Dylan Mertens blijven in Oss, toposs.nl, 8 August 2019
- ↑ Drie spelers vertrekken bij TOP Oss; Ioannidis is nieuw, toposs.nl, 17 October 2019
- ↑ "Дилан Мертенс стал игроком «Факела»" [Dylan Mertens became a Fakel player]. fakelfc.ru (in Russian). 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ↑ "Мертенс, Ломовицкий, Щетинин и Каштанов покинули "Факел"" [Mertens, Lomovitsky, Shchetinin and Kashtanov left Fakel] (in Russian). FC Fakel Voronez. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ "Dylan Mertens tekent contract bij Telstar" [Dylan Mertens signs contract with SC Telstar]. SC Telstar (Press release). 8 August 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ Brood, Thomas (6 July 2025). "Voetballer Mertens terug in Nederland nadat hij één seizoen in Rusland voetbalde" [Footballer Mertens returns to the Netherlands after one season in Russia]. NH Nieuws (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ "Telstar voldoet na transfer aan Eredivisie-eisen" [Telstar meet Eredivisie requirements after transfe]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 8 August 2025. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ "Ajax start eredivisie met moeizame thuisoverwinning op teruggekeerd Telstar" [Ajax open Eredivisie campaign with hard-fought home win over returning Telstar]. NOS (in Dutch). 10 August 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ "AFC Ajax – Telstar 2:0 (Eredivisie 2025/2026, 1. Round)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ "Telstar slaat belangrijke slag en verlengt contract van steunpilaar met één jaar" [Telstar scores a major victory and extends the contract of its key player by one year]. VoetbalPrimeur.nl (in Dutch). 2 April 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "Welcome, Dylan Mertens". Shafa FK. 9 July 2026. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- ↑ Dalsem, Kees van (10 July 2026). "Steeds meer spelers succesteam Telstar weg. Danny Bakker neemt afscheid, Dylan Mertens naar Azerbeidzjan" [More and more players are leaving Telstar’s successful team. Danny Bakker is leaving, and Dylan Mertens is heading to Azerbaijan]. Haarlems Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 July 2026.
External links
[edit]- Dylan Mertens at Soccerway
- 1995 births
- Living people
- Dutch men's footballers
- Footballers from Amsterdam
- Men's association football wingers
- FC Volendam players
- SC Telstar players
- TOP Oss players
- FC Tsarsko Selo Sofia players
- Botev Plovdiv players
- FC Fakel Voronezh players
- Shafa Baku FK players
- Eredivisie players
- Eerste Divisie players
- Derde Divisie players
- Tweede Divisie players
- First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
- Russian Premier League players
- Dutch expatriate men's footballers
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria
- Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Russia
- Expatriate men's footballers in Russia
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Azerbaijan
- Expatriate men's footballers in Azerbaijan
- 21st-century Dutch sportsmen