Dennis Praet

Dennis Praet

Praet playing for Anderlecht in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Dennis Praet [1]
Date of birth	(1994-05-14) 14 May 1994 (age 30) [2]
Place of birth	Leuven, Belgium
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Antwerp
Number	8
Youth career
1999–2000	SJV Motbroek
2000–2002	Stade Leuven
2002–2003	OH Leuven
2003–2010	Genk
2010–2011	Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2016	Anderlecht	139	(20)
2016–2019	Sampdoria	98	(4)
2019–2024	Leicester City	81	(3)
2021–2022	→ Torino (loan)	23	(2)
2024–	Antwerp	12	(0)
International career‡
2009	Belgium U15	3	(0)
2009–2010	Belgium U16	10	(1)
2010–2011	Belgium U17	11	(2)
2011	Belgium U18	2	(0)
2012	Belgium U19	7	(2)
2012–2016	Belgium U21	17	(2)
2014–	Belgium	15	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:51, 11 June 2022 (UTC)

Dennis Praet (born 14 May 1994) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Antwerp and the Belgium national team.

Early life

Praet was born in Leuven, Flemish Brabant. ^[4]

Club career

Youth at Genk

Praet joined the Genk youth academy in 2003 at the age of eight. He went on to spend most of his youth career at Genk, where he quickly made an impression and played for the club's youth teams until 2010. ^{[5] [6]} He was part of a strong generation at the club and scouts considered him one of the top talents. He became part of Belgium's youth teams and attracted the interest of clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona, Ajax and Lille. ^{[5] [7]}

Anderlecht

Praet playing for Anderlecht in 2014

In May 2010 Praet transferred from Genk to Anderlecht turning down more lucrative offers. ^{[5] [6]} At Anderlecht he started out with the under-19 team, continuing to impress. In 2011, he received the prize for best player during the AEGON Future Cup in Amsterdam, a youth tournament in which teams like Ajax and Bayern Munich also competed. ^[8]

Praet debuted in Anderlecht's first team on 21 September 2011 starting in the Belgian Cup against Lommel United and provided two assists in a 4–0 win. ^[9] In the next round of the cup, he scored his first official goal for Anderlecht, against Rupel Boom. Not long after, on 30 October, he also made his debut in the Belgian Pro League as a substitute for Fernando Canesin while playing against Lierse. In March 2012, Praet signed a new contract until 2015. ^[10]

During the 2012–13 season, Praet played regularly for Anderlecht as the club won their second straight league title. ^[5] A two-year contract extension was agreed in early 2014 to take him through to the summer of 2017. He scored the third goal in Anderlecht's 3–1 Jupiler Pro League play-off win over Lokeren on 25 May 2014 to seal Anderlecht's 33rd league title, and their third in a row. ^[11]

Praet made his 100th competitive appearance for the club in the league match at Club Brugge on 31 August 2014. ^[12] On 16 September, he scored away to Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League group stage to put Anderlecht in front, but the Turkish club equalised in added time. ^[13] His first league goal of the 2014–15 season came in the 2–2 draw at home to Club Brugge when he scored Anderlecht's opening goal to equalise midway through the first-half. Like his strike against Galatasaray in the Champions League, it went in off the post. He scored in four consecutive games for Anderlecht between 14 and 26 December 2014, with the league wins over Oostende, Waasland Beveren and Westerlo and the Belgian Cup win against Zulte Waregem.

This rich of form at the end of the year was rewarded at a ceremony on 14 January 2015 where Praet won the 2014 Belgian Golden Shoe, the annual award given to the best player in the Jupiler Pro League for the previous calendar year. ^[9] He polled five points (250) ahead of Víctor Vázquez of Club Brugge (245). ^{[14] [15]}

Sampdoria

On 24 August 2016, Praet's move to Sampdoria was finalised. Sampdoria paid a transfer fee of €10 million. ^[16] After being heavily linked with a move to reigning Serie A champions Juventus during the 2018 summer transfer window, in November 2018, Praet signed a contract extension with Sampdoria, extending his stay at the club until 2021. ^[17]

Praet was an ever present in the Sampdoria side during his three-year spell, appearing in 98 Serie A games and scoring four goals, as the club finished in the top half of the table all three seasons. ^[9]

Leicester City

On 8 August 2019, Praet signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of €20 million. ^{[9] [18]} On 18 August 2019, he made his league debut as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. ^[19] On 11 January 2020, Praet scored his first goal for Leicester City in 1–2 defeat against Southampton. ^[20] On 20 September 2020, he scored his second goal in a 4–2 win over Burnley. ^[21]

Torino (loan)

On 31 August 2021, Praet joined Torino on a season-long loan. ^[22]

Return to Leicester

Praet returned to Leicester for the 2022–23 season, scoring his only goal of the Premier League campaign in a 4–2 away win over Aston Villa on 4 February 2023. ^[23] However, the club were relegation after ending up in the 18th position on the league table. ^[24]

In the 2023–24 season, he achieved the EFL Championship with the club, securing promotion back to the Premier League. On 7 June 2024, he was among the players announced to depart the club upon the conclusion of the season. ^[25]

Antwerp

On 6 September 2024, Praet signed a contract with Antwerp for two seasons with an option for a third. ^[26]

International career

Praet has represented Belgium at every age group under-15 and older making an appearance in the U21 team a mere three years after first playing for the U15 team. ^[5]

On 6 November 2014, Praet received his first call up to the senior Belgian squad for the friendly at home to Iceland on 12 November, and the Euro 2016 Qualifier against Wales on 16 November. He made his senior international début coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for Christian Benteke after all four goals had been scored in the 3–1 friendly win over Iceland in Brussels. ^[9]

Praet earned his second cap for Belgium almost four years on from his debut featuring in a 1–1 draw against rivals Netherlands in October 2018. ^[17] On 17 May 2021, he was named in the Belgian squad for the UEFA Euro 2020. ^[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 April 2024 ^[28]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Anderlecht	2011–12	Belgian Pro League	7	0	2	1	—		—		—		9	1
	2012–13	Belgian Pro League	27	2	6	2	—		6 [c]	1	1 [d]	1	40	6
	2013–14	Belgian Pro League	37	5	2	0	—		6 [c]	0	1 [d]	0	46	5
	2014–15	Belgian Pro League	30	7	2	1	—		6 [c]	1	1 [d]	0	39	9
	2015–16 [e]	Belgian Pro League	37	6	0	0	—		9 [f]	0	—		46	6
	2016–17	Belgian Pro League	1	0	0	0	—		1 [f]	0	—		2	0
	Total		139	20	12	4	—		28	2	3	1	182	27
Sampdoria	2016–17	Serie A	32	1	2	0	—		—		—		34	1
	2017–18	Serie A	32	1	3	0	—		—		—		35	1
	2018–19	Serie A	34	2	3	0	—		—		—		37	2
	Total		98	4	8	0	—		—		—		106	4
Leicester City	2019–20	Premier League	27	1	4	0	5	0	—		—		36	1
	2020–21	Premier League	15	1	2	0	1	0	6 [f]	1	—		24	2
	2022–23	Premier League	22	1	2	0	3	0	—		—		27	1
	2023–24	Championship	17	0	2	1	1	0	—		—		20	1
	Total		81	3	10	1	10	0	6	1	—		107	5
Torino (loan)	2021–22	Serie A	23	2	1	0	—		—		—		24	2
Career total			339	29	31	5	10	0	34	3	3	1	417	38

1. Includes Belgian Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
4. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
5. Some sources, e.g. WorldFootball.net, attribute Anderlecht's third goal against Club Brugge on 25 October 2015 to Praet; ^[29] that goal and two others in the same match were officially ruled by the Pro League to be own goals. ^{[30] [31]}
6. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 11 June 2022 ^[32]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Belgium	2014	1	0
	2015	0	0
	2016	0	0
	2017	0	0
	2018	1	0
	2019	4	0
	2020	3	0
	2021	5	2
	2022	1	0
Total		15	2

As of match played 11 June 2022

Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Praet goal^{[ citation needed ]}

List of international goals scored by Dennis Praet

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	30 March 2021	Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium	10	Belarus	5–0	8–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification	[33]
2	8 September 2021	Central Stadium, Kazan, Russia	14		1–0	1–0		[34]

Honours

Anderlecht

• Belgian Pro League: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 ^[9]
• Belgian Super Cup: 2012, 2013, 2014 ^[9]

Leicester City

• FA Cup: 2020–21 ^[35]
• EFL Championship: 2023–24 ^[36]

Individual

• Best player of AEGON Future Cup: 2011 ^[37]
• Belgian Golden Shoe: 2014 ^[38]

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
2. "Dennis Praet: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
3. "Dennis Praet: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
4. "Dennis Praet: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
5. Dorrington, Nick (21 July 2015). "Dennis Praet's vision and technique have made Europe's elite take notice". ESPNFC. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
6. Wollaston, Steve (3 July 2015). "Aston Villa – everything you need to know about new £10m target Dennis Praet". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
7. "Arsenal to beat Barcelona in race for Belgian wonderkid?". Total Barça. 12 April 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
8. Jonges, Ronald (25 April 2011). "AEGON Future Cup: Het eindrapport" (in Dutch). Ajax.nl. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2013. adidas Beste Speler van de AEGON Future Cup 2011: Anderlecht-middenvelder Dennis Praet nam de prijs voor Beste Speler van het toernooi in ontvangst uit handen van Ajacied Christian Eriksen.
9. "Dennis Praet Signs For Leicester City On Permanent Deal". Leicester City. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
10. "Arsenal do their groundwork on Dennis Praet". Express. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
11. "Anderlecht clinch title in Belgium". UEFA. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
12. "'The Belgian Iniesta' – Meet Juventus target Dennis Praet". Goal. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
13. "Galatasaray 1–1 Anderlecht: Late Burak goal saves point for hosts". Goal.com. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
14. Scholten, Berend (14 January 2015). "Anderlecht's Praet is Belgium's best". UEFA.com. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
15. "Dennis Praet wint Gouden Schoen, Vazquez strandt op vijf puntjes". Sporza (in Dutch). 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
16. "Sampdoria stelt Dennis Praet officieel voor" [Sampdoria officially presents Dennis Praet]. Sport Wereld (in Dutch). 24 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
17. "Praet extends Sampdoria contract". Sports Star. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
18. Romano, Fabrizio (7 August 2019). "Leicester set to sign Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet for €20m". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
19. "Chelsea 1-1 Leicester City: Wilfred Ndidi secures hard-earned point". BBC Sport. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
20. "Dennis Praet vs. Southampton". lcfc.com. 11 January 2020.
21. "Highlights: Praet scores screamer as Leicester beat Burnley". BBC Sport. 11 January 2020.
22. "Praet al Toro" (in Italian). Torino F.C. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
23. "Tetê and Dennis Praet give Leicester the edge in six-goal thriller at Aston Villa". The Guardian. 4 February 2023.
24. Fisher, Ben (28 May 2023). "Leicester relegated from Premier League despite victory over West Ham". The Guardian.
25. "Albrighton Among Players To Depart Leicester City". Leicester City F.C. 7 June 2024.
26. "Dennis Praet is a Red!" [Dennis Praet is a Red!] (in Dutch). Antwerp. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
27. "Selection of the Red Devils for EURO 2020 has been announced". Royal Belgian Football Association . 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
28. "D. Praet". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
29. "Belgium: Eerste klasse A 2015/2016: 12. Round: RSC Anderlecht – Club Brugge KV 3:1". WorldFootball.net. Heim:spiel Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
30. "Pro League geeft enkel Okaka doelpunt na 3–1 tegen Club Brugge" [Pro League gives only Okaka a goal after the 3–1 against Club Brugge]. De Standaard (in Dutch). 26 October 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
31. "Anderlecht vs. Club Brugge 3–1". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
32. "Praet, Dennis". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
33. "Belgium 8–0 Belarus: Leandro Trossard scores twice in crushing win". BBC Sport. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
34. "Belarus 0–1 Belgium". BBC Sport. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
35. McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
36. "Championship: 2023/24: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
    "Leicester: Squad details: 2023/24". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
37. "Paars-witte U17 winnen AEGON Future Cup". RSCA.be. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
38. "Anderlecht's Praet is Belgium's best". UEFA. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.

External links

• Profile at the Leicester City F.C. website (archived)
• Dennis Praet at the Royal Belgian Football Association
• Dennis Praet – UEFA competition record ( archive ) 
• Dennis Praet – FIFA competition record (archived)