Arthur Vermeeren

Last updated

Arthur Vermeeren
Arthur vermeeren-1691915252.png
Vermeeren with Royal Antwerp in 2023
Personal information
Full name Arthur Denis Vermeeren [1]
Date of birth (2005-02-07) 7 February 2005 (age 20) [1]
Place of birth Lier, Belgium
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [2]
Position Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Marseille
(on loan from RB Leipzig)
Number 18
Youth career
2018–2022 Royal Antwerp
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022 Royal Antwerp II 6 (1)
2022–2024 Royal Antwerp 47 (2)
2024–2025 Atlético Madrid 5 (0)
2024–2025 → RB Leipzig (loan) 15 (0)
2025– RB Leipzig 13 (0)
2025– → Marseille (loan) 12 (0)
International career‡
2021–2022 Belgium U17 10 (0)
2022 Belgium U18 3 (0)
2023 Belgium U19 3 (0)
2023– Belgium U21 9 (0)
2023– Belgium 6 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:02, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 09:57, 19 November 2025 (UTC)

Arthur Denis Vermeeren (born 7 February 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for French Ligue 1 club Marseille on loan from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, and the Belgium national team.

Contents

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 on the 59th minute 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 imagine 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 told reporters in the post-match interview: "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]

RB Leipzig

On 26 August 2024, Vermeeren joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy once certain conditions were met. [15] On 17 January 2025, Leipzig confirmed that the conditions had been met, and Vermeeren had joined the club permanently on a deal until 2029. [16]

Loan to Marseille

On 31 August 2025, Vermeeren was loaned to Marseille in France for the season. [17]

International career

Vermeeren played for the Belgian youth teams, featuring for the Belgium U17 in the 2022 European Under-17 Championship. [18] He debuted for the Belgian senior squad on 13 October 2023, coming off the bench in the 87th minute to replace Johan Bakayoko, in a 3–2 away victory over Austria during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. [19] On 28 May 2024, Vermeeren was named in the 25-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. [20]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 4 January 2026 [1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Royal Antwerp II 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 61———61
Royal Antwerp 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 261602 [b] 0—341
2023–24 Belgian Pro League211207 [c] 01 [d] 0311
Total472809010652
Atlético Madrid 2023–24 La Liga 500000—50
RB Leipzig (loan) 2024–25 Bundesliga 150205 [c] 0—220
RB Leipzig 2024–25 Bundesliga130202 [c] 0—170
Leipzig total2804070—390
Marseille (loan) 2025–26 Ligue 1 100105 [c] 000160
Career total963130210101313
  1. ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup

International

As of match played 17 November 2024 [21]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 202320
202440
Total60

Honours

Royal Antwerp

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A. Vermeeren: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "Vermeeren" (in Spanish). Atlético Madrid. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "History: Antwerp 2-0 Lillestrom". UEFA.com. 11 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Droomavond voor Antwerps jeugdproduct Arthur Vermeeren (17): "Ik kon me geen beter debuut voorstellen"". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 11 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Conference League - Van Bommel: "Nous avons fait ce que nous devions faire"". La Libre (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ Calcoen, Pieter-Jan (2 May 2023). "Na de Croky Cup is de sterke man van Antwerp niet voldaan: Paul Gheysens wil op álle vlakken de beste zijn" [After the Croky Cup, Antwerp's strong man is not satisfied: Paul Gheysens wants to be the best in all areas]. HBVL.be (in Dutch). 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". Sporza (in Dutch). 23 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Arthur Vermeeren: Why Barcelona, Arsenal & other European giants want Belgian teenager". 90min. 12 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Royal Antwerp 3–2 Barcelona". BBC Sport . BBC. 13 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Antwerp-Barcelona: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Group stage". UEFA . 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 .
  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. ↑ "Prospect Arthur Vermeeren Joins RB Leipzig". RB Leipzig. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "Arthur Vermeeren joins RB Leipzig on a permanent deal". RB Leipzig. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Arthur Vermeeren joins Olympique de Marseille on loan". RB Leipzig. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Fofana, Mawete, Monticelli : 3 pépites belges à suivre durant l'Euro U17" (in French). RTBF. 12 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Bourlon, Antoine (14 October 2023). "Toute l'Europe s'arrache déjà ce jeune Diable Rouge : "Le nouvel Iniesta"". Walfoot (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  20. ↑ "25 Devils go to Euro 2024". Royal Belgian Football Association . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  21. ↑ "Arthur Vermeeren". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Geen schoonheidsprijs, wel een vierde beker: Antwerp maakt favorietenrol waar tegen KV Mechelen" (in Dutch). Sporza. 30 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "Antwerp wint nu ook de Supercup! KV Mechelen plooit pas na strafschoppen" (in Dutch). Sporza. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  24. ↑ Geypen, Diederik (18 January 2024). "Na 'Jonge Profvoetballer van het Jaar' is Arthur Vermeeren nu ook 'Belofte van het Jaar'" (in Dutch). gva.be.
  25. ↑ "Toby Alderweireld zet kroon op Antwerpse feestavond met Gouden Schoen, Tessa Wullaert wint vierde bij de vrouwen" (in Dutch). Sporza. 18 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "Arthur Vermeeren verkozen tot beste debutant in Belgische competitie". rtv.be (in Dutch). 18 December 2023.
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