Dante Vanzeir
Vanzeir during a friendly between Union SG and Lens in 2020
Personal information
Full name Dante Vanzeir[1]
Date of birth (1998-04-16) 16 April 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth Beringen, Belgium
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
 New York Red Bulls
Number 13
Youth career
2004–2016 Genk
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2020 Genk 6 (1)
2018–2019 → Beerschot Wilrijk (loan) 37 (15)
2019–2020 → Mechelen (loan) 18 (3)
2020–2023 Union SG 79 (43)
2023– New York Red Bulls 19 (2)
International career‡
2013 Belgium U15 5 (1)
2013–2014 Belgium U16 11 (4)
2015 Belgium U17 10 (2)
2016 Belgium U18 1 (0)
2016 Belgium U19 5 (1)
2019–2020 Belgium U21 5 (0)
2021– Belgium 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:05, 25 January 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:58, 16 November 2021 (UTC)

Dante Vanzeir (born 16 April 1998) is a Belgian professional footballer who played as a forward and winger for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls and the Belgium national team.

Club career

Genk

Born in Beringen, Vanzeir is a youth exponent from K.R.C. Genk. He started playing with the youth academy of Genk when he was eleven.[2]

He made his Belgian Pro League debut on 18 September 2016 in a 2–0 home defeat against Anderlecht, replacing Leon Bailey after 81 minutes.[3] Vanzeir scored his first goal in the Belgian Pro League on 24 January 2018 in a 2–1 victory against Lokeren. On 20 July 2019, Vanzeir scored the third goal for Genk in a 3-0 victory over Mechelen in the 2019 Belgian Super Cup.

Loan to Beerschot Wilrijk

For the 2018–19 season Vanzeir was loaned to Beerschot Wilrijk in the second-tier First Division B.[4] While with Beerschot Wilrijk he contributed 16 goals in 39 matches helping his team compete at the top of the division and narrowly missing out on promotion.

Loan to KV Mechelen

For the 2019–20 season Vanzeir was loaned to newly promoted top flight club KV Mechelen. On 20 September 2019 he scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–2 victory against K.V. Kortrijk.[5]

Union SG

On 30 July 2020, Genk announced that they had sold Vanzeir to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, with whom he signed a contract until the summer of 2023. With Union, he became champion in First Division B on 13 March 2021, with Union returning to the Belgian First Division after 48 years. Vanzeir had a big part in the title win, being the club's top scorer and the joint top scorer of the competition with 19 league goals.[6]

On 25 July 2021, the day of his return to the Jupiler Pro League, Vanzeir provided an assist for the go-ahead goal in the Brussels derby against RSC Anderlecht, which Union eventually won 3–1.[7] Two days later, Vanzeir extended his contract until 2024, with an option for an additional year.[8] On 28 August he scored a hat-trick in the home game against Standard Liège.[9] Thanks to the front strike-force of Vanzeir and Deniz Undav, Union finished second behind Club Brugge in their first season back in the top flight since 1973. Union had been top of the table for 200 days.[10][11][12][13][14]

On 2 August 2022, Vanzeir scored his first international goal in a 2-0 victory over Glasgow Rangers, at the Den Dreef Stadium in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League. [15]

New York Red Bulls

On 3 February 2023, New York Red Bulls announced that they had acquired Vanzeir from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.[16] On 18 March 2023, Vanzeir scored his first goal for New York, an 86th minute strike, helping his club to a 2–1 victory over Columbus Crew.[17]

Vanzeir made his first start for the Red Bulls on 8 April 2023. During the second half of the match, Vanzeir used a racial slur; [18][19] the incident resulted in a lengthy stoppage in play. He was suspended for six matches and given an undisclosed fine.[20] Vanzeir claimed in an interview he called the referee a "monkey" thinking it meant "clown."[21]

On 30 July 2023, Vanzeir helped New York to a 2-1 victory over Atlético San Luis in the Leagues Cup, scoring two goals including a stoppage time winner which helped his club advance to the next round. These were the first two goals scored in the competition by the club. [22]

International career

In November 2021, he was called up to the senior Belgium squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, on 13 and 16 November against Estonia and Wales respectively.[23] He made his debut against Wales.[24]

Personal life

Vanzeir is of Polish and Ukrainian descent through his mother.[25] His sister, Luna Vanzeir, is also a football player. She plays for KRC Genk of the Super League.[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 24 January 2023[27][28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup [a] Europe/ Leagues Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Genk 2016–17 Belgian First Division A 1 0 1 0 — — 2 0
2017–18 5 1 1 0 — — 6 1
2019–20 0 0 0 0 — 1[b] 1 1 1
Total 6 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 9 2
Beerschot Wilrijk (loan) 2018–19 Belgian First Division B 29 13 2 1 — 8[c] 2 39 16
Mechelen (loan) 2019–20 Belgian First Division A 18 3 0 0 — — 18 3
Union SG 2020–21 Belgian First Division B 24 19 3 2 — — 27 21
2021–22 Belgian First Division A 35 14 1 1 — — 36 15
2022–23 Belgian First Division A 20 10 1 0 7[d] 2 — 28 12
Total 79 43 5 3 7 2 0 0 91 48
New York Red Bulls 2023 Major League Soccer 19 2 1 1 4 2 24 5
Career total 151 62 10 5 11 4 9 3 181 74
  1. ^ Includes Belgian Cup.
  2. ^ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in First Division A Europa League play-offs
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and UEFA Europa League

Honours

Genk

Union SG

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015: List of Players: Belgium" (PDF). FIFA. 28 October 2015. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Vader Michel over Dante Vanzeir: 'Ik zag in hem meer een rechtsachter dan een spits'". Knack (magazine). 2 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Genk vs. Anderlecht - 18 September 2016". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Genk leent Dante Vanzeir uit aan Beerschot Wilrijk". Het Belang van Limburg (in Dutch). 22 June 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  5. ^ Wereldgoals van Vanzeir en Schoofs helpen KV Mechelen aan driepunter in Kortrijk nieuwsblad.be, 20 September 2019
  6. ^ Dante Vanzeir nu ook topschutter: “Lessen getrokken uit Anderlecht” Het Nieuwsblad, 14 February 2021
  7. ^ Union legt de pijnpunten van Anderlecht nog eens duidelijk bloot Sporza, 25 July 2021
  8. ^ Union legt goudhaantje Dante Vanzeir vast tot 2024 Het Nieuwsblad, 27 July 2021
  9. ^ "Nieuw volksfeest voor Union en zijn Dudenpark na demonstratie tegen Standard". sporza.be (in Dutch). 28 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  10. ^ Devilez, Alice (3 April 2022). "L'Union Saint-Gilloise remporte la phase classique : les 5 moments clés d'un parcours idyllique (Union Saint-Gilloise wins the classic phase: the 5 key moments of an idyllic journey)". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Club Brugge pakt historische derde landstitel op rij na remonte op de Bosuil (Club Brugge takes historic third national title in a row after a remonte on the Bosuil)". Sporza (in Dutch). 15 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Highlights: Royal Antwerp vs Club Brugge". proleague.be. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Union verslaat Anderlecht voor de 4e keer dit seizoen en mag als vicekampioen de CL in (Union beats Anderlecht for the 4th time this season and is allowed to enter the Champions League as vice champion)". Sporza (in Dutch). 15 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Highlights: RSC Anderlecht vs Union Saint-Gilloise". proleague.be. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Union Saint-Gilloise dream continues as they beat Rangers 2-0 in first leg". brusselstimes.com. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  16. ^ "New York Red Bulls Acquire Belgian International Dante Vanzeir from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise". NewYorkRedBulls.com. New York Red Bulls. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Dante Vanzeir Scores Match-Winner with First MLS Goal". NewYorkRedBulls.com. New York Red Bulls. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Earthquakes' draw at New York marred by Red Bulls player's alleged use of racial slur". The Mercury News. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Statements from New York Red Bulls, Dante Vanzeir and Gerhard Struber". New York Red Bulls. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  20. ^ "MLS suspends New York Red Bulls' Dante Vanzeir for six games". ESPN. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Vanzeir admits saying 'monkey' but insists he didn't mean it offensively". USA Today. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  22. ^ "San Luis eliminado de League Cup ante NY Red Bulls tras fallar penal en tiempo de reposición". MARCA (in Spanish). marca.com. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Martinez roept Dante Vanzeir en Wout Faes op voor WK-kwalificaties" [Martinez calls up Dante Vanzeir and Wout Faes for World Cup qualifiers]. sporza.be. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Wales v Belgium game report". FIFA. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  25. ^ Hauspie, Jan (11 October 2021). "Dante Vanzeir: 'Het was al een droom toen Martinez zei dat ik het vorige keer nét niet gehaald had'". Humo (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  26. ^ Dekeyser, Frank. "Kersvers Rode Duivel Dante en Luna Vanzeir, broer en zus met een neus voor goals: "Dribbelde ze me toch eens voorbij, dan zette ik wel mijn lichaam"". Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Dante Vanzeir". SofaScore.
  28. ^ Dante Vanzeir flashscore.
  29. ^ "Landskampioen Genk opent seizoen met Supercup-winst tegen KV Mechelen". Sporza. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  30. ^ "Dante Vanzeir Profvoetballer 1B Pro League van het jaar!" (in Dutch).
  31. ^ Cami, Thomas (27 July 2021). "Union legt goudhaantje Dante Vanzeir vast tot 2024". Het Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 16 December 2021.

External links

New York Red Bulls – current squad
Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year (Challenger Pro League)
Categories