In his seventeenth season as a professional footballer, Dries Mertens has finally won his first league title. The 36-year-old Belgian was close so many times, but was able to actually celebrate on Tuesday night after the championship with Galatasaray.
Overjoyed Mertens (36) has finally won his first league title
For nine years, Mertens dreamed of a Scudetto with Napoli. He was very close to it several times, but it was not given to the Belgian top player. Three times Mertens came second in Serie A, in the 2012/13 season PSV also finished in the Eredivisie. Precisely in the season after the departure of club icon Mertens, Napoli then became champion.
Mertens won many other prizes in his career: the Coppa Italia (2x), the Supercoppa Italiana, the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruijff Shield, but never a league title. Till Tuesday. Thanks to Galatasaray’s 1-4 win over Ankaragücü, Mertens could finally cheer.
The attacker, who has scored six goals and three assists in the Süper Lig this season, expressed his joy in conversation with the club channel: “I’m so happy! We are champions. I feel incredibly happy. This match was the most memorable of the whole season for me.”
Trainer Okan Buruk is also elated: “This is an emotional moment. I will become champion in my first year as coach of Galatasaray. I want to thank the fans, they have always supported us. We fought for them on the field. We are very happy”
“This is a special feeling, an incredible joy. We all worked hard together, now our fans have the right to celebrate. The derby against Fenerbahçe awaits us next week. We want to finish the season with a win, that’s our goal,” assures the championship winning coach.
Icardi shows class on and off the field
Partly thanks to the hits from Icardi, who shot 21 times this season, Galatasaray became national champion again. For the 23rd time again. It resulted in crazy scenes in Istanbul. Tens of thousands of fans took to the streets.
The heroes themselves first had to board the plane on their way home. She would have a fabulous party there. On the field, the title had already been celebrated exuberantly and the emotions were clearly visible. Mertens decided to comfort teammate Lucas Torreira in an endearing way when the Uruguayan withdrew from the festivities. The midfielder had lost his mother.