Dries Mertens was born on May 6, 1987, in Leuven, Belgium. Showing an early interest in football, Mertens was part of the youth academies of established Belgian clubs Anderlecht and Gent, but was released from both due to being deemed physically insufficient. This proved to be a turning point in his career, leading him to decide to play football in the Netherlands. He began his professional career in the Dutch lower leagues with AGOVV Apeldoorn, where his performances attracted attention, leading to a transfer to FC Utrecht in 2009. After two…