| Birth date | 20 July 1995 (age 31) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.87 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Currentclub | Telstar |
| Clubnumber | 8 |
| Youthyears 1 | –2005 |
| Youthclubs 1 | SDW |
| Youthyears 2 | 2005–2006 |
| Youthclubs 2 | DWS |
| Youthyears 3 | 2006–2008 |
| Youthclubs 3 | AFC |
| Youthyears 4 | 2008–2010 |
| Youthclubs 4 | Utrecht |
| Youthyears 5 | 2010–2011 |
| Youthclubs 5 | AFC |
| Youthyears 6 | 2011–2013 |
| Youthclubs 6 | Argon |
| Youthyears 7 | 2013–2014 |
| Youthclubs 7 | FC Den Bosch |
| Years 1 | 2014–2018 |
| Clubs 1 | Volendam |
| Caps 1 | 38 |
| Goals 1 | 2 |
| Years 2 | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs 2 | Telstar |
| Caps 2 | 19 |
| Goals 2 | 2 |
| Years 3 | 2019 |
| Clubs 3 | TOP Oss |
| Caps 3 | 1 |
| Goals 3 | 0 |
| Years 4 | 2020 |
| Clubs 4 | Koninklijke HFC |
| Caps 4 | 4 |
| Goals 4 | 1 |
| Years 5 | 2020–2021 |
| Clubs 5 | Tsarsko Selo Sofia |
| Caps 5 | 25 |
| Goals 5 | 1 |
| Years 6 | 2021–2024 |
| Clubs 6 | Botev Plovdiv |
| Caps 6 | 66 |
| Goals 6 | 4 |
| Years 7 | 2024–2025 |
| Clubs 7 | Fakel Voronezh |
| Caps 7 | 27 |
| Goals 7 | 0 |
| Years 8 | 2025– |
| Clubs 8 | Telstar |
| Caps 8 | 20 |
| Goals 8 | 0 |
| Club-update | 21:22, 17 May 2026 (UTC) |
Dylan Mertens (born 20 July 1995) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Telstar.[1]
Career
Youth
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
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
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
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
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
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]
Career statistics
| 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 | |||
| colspan='2"|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 | ||
| 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
- ^
- ^ 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] (in Dutch). SC Telstar. 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] (in Russian). fakelfc.ru. 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. 8 August 2025. Archived 4 September 2025 at the Wayback Machine. 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] (in Dutch). NH Nieuws. Archived 7 July 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "Telstar voldoet na transfer aan Eredivisie-eisen" [Telstar meet Eredivisie requirements after transfe] (in nl-NL). Voetbal International. 8 August 2025. Archived 12 October 2025 at the Wayback Machine. 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] (in Dutch). NOS. 10 August 2025. Archived 4 September 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "AFC Ajax – Telstar 2:0 (Eredivisie 2025/2026, 1. Round)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Archived 12 October 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 October 2025.