Then no football pension for Dries Mertens (36)? After previously indicating that his retirement is imminent, he now tells the Turkish press that he may add another year. Because Mertens is in top form. “It would therefore be stupid to stop now.”
“I really feel like quitting football,” Dries Mertens said earlier in the VTM program ‘Sergio over the border’. Mertens’ contract with Galatasaray ends in June. “At my age you normally stop playing football. You become slower, physically it hurts more. I still enjoy football every day and have the best job in the world, but I am also looking forward to having more freedom. I want to find peace and be a family man.”
It seemed to be confirmation of what Mertens had already suggested: he would retire from football at the end of this season. But due to his blood form, the 109-time Red Devil seems to be retracing his steps.
In 2024 he already scored three times and provided seven assists. “I have been thinking a lot in recent weeks and months,” he now tells the Turkish press. “I’m having fun and the coach gives me a lot of confidence. It’s actually going better than expected. I haven’t fully decided yet, but I think I’ll add another year. I can train with everything, play a lot and feel no pain. It would actually be stupid to stop now.”
Whether that extra year is at Galatasaray or elsewhere remains to be seen.
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