Birger Verstraete
Verstraete in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-04-16) 16 April 1994
Place of birth Ostend, Belgium
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Aris
Number 28
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 Club Brugge 6 (0)
2014–2015 → Royal Mouscron (loan) 6 (0)
2015–2017 Kortrijk 38 (0)
2017–2019 Gent 68 (6)
2019–2020 Köln 9 (0)
2020–2021 → Antwerp (loan) 23 (1)
2021–2023 Antwerp 35 (2)
2022–2023 → Mechelen (loan) 20 (2)
2023– Aris 11 (0)
International career
2010 Belgium U16 1 (0)
2012–2013 Belgium U19 13 (2)
2016 Belgium U21 3 (0)
2018 Belgium 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 January 2024

Birger Verstraete (born 16 April 1994) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Greek Super League club Aris. Verstraete has played once for the Belgium national team.

Club career

From Ostend, Verstraete came through the youth ranks at Club Brugge as a central midfielder, but only played six league games for the Blauw-Zwart before moving to Kortrijk in 2015.

Two seasons followed at the Guldensporen before a big step-up to join Gent in 2017, who had won the Belgian title two years earlier.

A poor start to the season saw the dismissal of coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck, but the Buffalos rallied to finish fourth under Yves Vanderhaeghe.

A further fifth-placed finish and decent run to the 2018–19 Belgian Cup Final - where they were beaten 2–1 by Mechelen despite having taken the lead - alerted clubs from across the border in Germany, particularly FC Köln.

Verstraete only played nine games in the Bundesliga before returning to the Belgian Pro League with Royal Antwerp in 2020, at first on loan. As part of a dynamic Great Old side under first Ivan Leko and then Frank Vercauteren, Verstraete helped Antwerp to a third-place finish in the 2020–21 season, the club's highest placing since their previous league title in 1957. However, he was not allowed play in the covid-delayed 2020 Belgian Cup Final win over his former side Club Brugge, as he had not been signed by the time of the original date of the decider in April 2020.

The following season under Danish coach Brian Priske, Royal Antwerp finished fourth, after losing home and away to Anderlecht in the 2021–22 league championship play-offs.

On 6 September 2022, Verstraete joined Mechelen on loan,[1][2] helping them win their fight against relegation, and aiding their run to the 2023 Belgian Cup Final against Royal Antwerp.

On 11 September 2023, he signed a two-year contract with Aris. [3]

International career

Verstraete made his Belgium national team debut on 7 September 2018 in a friendly against Scotland.[4]

Career statistics

As of 14 September 2023
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Club Brugge 2012–13 Belgian Pro League 401010—60
2011–12 400010—50
Total 801020—110
Royal Mouscron (loan) 2014–15 Belgian Pro League 11110——121
Kortrijk 2015–16 18010——190
2016–17 Belgian First Division A 20030——230
Total 38040——420
Gent 2016–17 Belgian First Division A 80———80
2017–18 2611010—281
2018–19 3454040—425
Total 6865050—786
Köln 2019–20 Bundesliga 9010——100
Antwerp (loan) 2020–21 Belgian First Division A 2312060—311
Antwerp 2021–22 3121080—402
2022–23 Belgian Pro League 400061—101
Total 35210141—503
Mechelen (loan) 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 20250——252
Career total 212122002710025913

References

  1. ↑ "Birger Verstraete gehuurd van Antwerp" (in Dutch). Mechelen. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Birger Verstraete: Sporza" (in Dutch). Sporza. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Άρης μεταγραφές: Βερστράτε διετίας στην ομάδα της Θεσσαλονίκης". www.sport24.gr. 11 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Scotland v Belgium game report". Sky Sports. 7 September 2018.
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