 Engels withClub Brugge | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Björn Lionel G. Engels[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-09-15)15 September 1994 (age 31)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Kaprijke, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Royal Antwerp | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2013 | Club Brugge | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2017 | Club Brugge | 57 | (11) |
| 2017–2019 | Olympiacos | 17 | (3) |
| 2018–2019 | →Reims (loan) | 33 | (1) |
| 2019 | Reims | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Aston Villa | 17 | (1) |
| 2021– | Royal Antwerp | 16 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Belgium U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2011 | Belgium U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2012 | Belgium U19 | 5 | (1) |
| 2016 | Belgium U21 | 2 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:46, 13 December 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:46, 6 September 2016 (UTC) | |||
Björn Lionel G. Engels (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forBelgian First Division A teamRoyal Antwerp.
Born inKaprijke, Belgium, Engels first played for FC Kaprijke-Bentille, FCLembeke andLokeren as a youth. In 2006, at the age of 12, he joinedClub Brugge.[3]
After progressing through the ranks of the academy, Engels appeared as an unused substitute, in a match against Gent on 29 October 2011, which saw Club Brugge win 5–4.[4] On 20 September 2012, he made his professional debut in theUEFA Europa League againstGirondins de Bordeaux coming on at half-time forThibaut Van Acker. Only one minute later he scored anown goal.[5] After the match, Engels described his Club Brugge debut as "very painful".[6] Having finished the 2012–13 season with one appearance, Engels signed his first professional contract with Club Brugge, agreeing a three–year deal.[7]
Engels made his league debut on 4 August 2013 in the second game of the 2013–14 season againstOostende. He played the full game and scored the opening goal in the third minute. Club Brugge won the game with 2–1.[8] After scoring his second againstKortrijk on 20 October 2013,[9] Engels’ performance at the club earned him a contract extension in November 2013, which would keep him until 2017.[10] Later in the 2013–14 season, Engels went on to score three more goals againstGenk,[11]Zulte Waregem[12] and Lokeren.[13] Despite being sidelined due to injury[14] and suspension,[15] he continued to be a first team regular and finished the 2013–14 season with 35 appearances and 5 goals in all competitions. For his performances he was nominated for theYoung Professional Footballer of the Year, but lost out toYouri Tielemans.[16]
After missing out the opening game of the 2014–15 season, due to an injury, Engels managed to regain his first team position making his first appearance of the season againstBrøndby.[17] He then scored againstAnderlecht on 31 August 2014[18] and a brace against Oostende on 28 September 2014.[19] In the next match againstStandard Liège on 5 October 2014, which Club Brugge won 3–0, Engels suffered both a knee and an ankle injury despite playing the whole game.[20] Initially out between three and six weeks,[21] Engels’ recovery was delayed throughout 2014.[22][23] While recovering from both injuries, Engels signed a contract extension until 2019 in January 2015.[24] In March, a scan revealed Engels’ recovery would be delayed again and he would be out for the rest of the season.[25] Engels finished the 2014–15 season making twelve appearances and scoring three times in all competitions while winning theBelgian Cup.
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Engels appeared to have recovered from his injuries when he returned to training in the pre–season.[26] However, at the start of the 2015–16 season, Engels’ hopes of returning suffered a setback when he was out for several months, delaying his return again following a scan.[27] He returned to training from injury around October.[28][29] On 10 December 2015, he made his first appearance in a year, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw againstMidtjylland on matchday 6 of the UEFA Europa League Group stage.[30] Engels then made his first league appearance in a year against Anderlecht on 20 December 2015, where he set up a goal for the club in a 4–1 loss.[31] On 16 January 2016, Engels scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win overMouscron,[32] followed up by scoring his second in the next game on 24 January 2016, in a 2–1 win overWaasland-Beveren.[33] Despite suffering two separate injuries towards the end of the 2015–16 season,[34][35] Engels helped the club win theleague in the 2015–16 season, earning him the winner's medal, and made 21 appearances and scoring twice in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Engels was linked a move away from Club Brugge, prompting a response from Filip Joos, who stated that Engels would be worth €60 million (in China).[36] Engels remained at the club and signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2020.[37] After being left out of the squad for the first three matches at the start of the season, includingBelgium Super Cup,[38] he then scored his first goal of the season on 28 August 2016, in a 2–2 draw against Standard Liège.[39] On 14 September 2016, he made hisChampions League debut againstLeicester City, earning a booking in the 35th minutes, in a 3–0 loss.[40] During the match, Engels suffered a shoulder injury and was substituted in the 53rd minute. After the match, it was announced he would be sidelined for months with the injury.[41] On 18 December 2016, he made his return from injury, making his first start in months, in a 5–1 win overKortrijk.[42] After returning to the first team, Engels regained his place for the rest of the season despite suffering from an abductor injury and appearing on the substitute bench.[43][44][45] He later scored again on 24 February 2017, in a 5–0 win overZulte Waregem.[46] At the end of the 2016–17 season, Engels had scored twice in 23 appearances.
In the 2017–18 season, Engels continued to remain in the first team, making five appearances by the end of August.[47][48]
In the summer transfer window of 2017, Engels was linked with a move to English sidesArsenal,[49]Fulham[50] andStoke City.[51] Ultimately,Greek Superleague sideOlympiacos agreed with the player's side on 29 August 2017,[52] whileClub Brugge agreed on the transfer with Olympiacos for an estimated €7.1 million fee on 30 August 2017.[53] The following day, on 31 August 2017, Olympiacos announced the signing of Engels.[54] Upon joining Olympiacos, Engels said of the move, quoting:"this seems to me the perfect step in my career. Olympiakos is the most important team in Greece, and I'm very happy to be here."[55]On 22 October 2017, Engels's goal earned the victory in the derby against rivalsPAOK. Belgian centre-back struck six minutes after half-time, bundling the ball home after aKostas Fortounis free-kick caused panic in the PAOK penalty box to win three vital points for the defending champions.[56]
On summer 2018, after being told he was not part of new managerPedro Martins's plans, Engels tried to find a new club to continue his career.[57]
In August 2018, Engels joinedReims, newly promoted toLigue 1 at the end of the2017–18 season, on a season-long loan from Olympiacos.[58] Engels performed solidly with Reims throughout the year, playing in 33Ligue 1 games. Engels helped Reims rise to eighth position in the table.
On 28 March 2019,Reims announced they had triggered the option-to-buy clause in Engels’ contract for an estimated €4 million fee following a strong2018–19 Ligue 1 campaign.
On 16 July 2019, Engels signed forPremier League sideAston Villa for an estimated €8 million fee.[59] Reims' director-general Mathieu Lacour and president Jean-Pierre Caillot described that Engels' short time with the club was due to an agreement to allow him to join any Premier League club that made a considerable offer.[60] Engels made his debut on the first day of the2019–20 season, in a 3–1 away defeat toTottenham Hotspur.[61] On 16 February 2020, he scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a 3–2 home defeat, also to Tottenham Hotspur, a game in which he also made a mistake in injury time to allowSon Heung-min to score the winning goal.[62]
Engels missed the end of the season and the start of the following after suffering a serious thigh injury in a behind-closed-doors training match.[63] He was in contention for a start once again following his return, but did not receive any playing time, as he had fallen behindEzri Konsa,Tyrone Mings andKortney Hause in the pecking order.[64]
On 18 June 2021, Aston Villa announced that a transfer had been agreed for Engels to return to Belgium and joinRoyal Antwerp.[65]
After going through the ranks ofBelgium U17, Belgium U18 andBelgium U19, Engels received his first call up to the seniorBelgium squad in March 2016 for a friendly againstPortugal, but didn't play.[66] Two months later, Engels was again called up for the senior Belgium squad ahead of theEuro 2016 tournament.[67] However, Engels suffered a thigh injury that ruled him out of the tournament.[35]
After being left out the senior squad, Engels was called up by theBelgium U21 for the first time on 26 August 2016[68] and made his Belgium U21 debut on 2 September 2016 againstMalta U21, scoring a winning goal, in a 3–2 win.[69]
Engels has a brother named Manice. He is in a relationship with his partner, Evangalista from Liverpool,[70][non-primary source needed] whom he has been dating since 2012.[71] The couple have a son born in July 2017.[72]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Club Brugge | 2012–13 | Belgian Pro League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 10[d] | 1 | 35 | 5 | |||
| 2014–15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |||
| 2015–16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | 21 | 2 | |||
| 2016–17 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 7[d] | 0 | 23 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 57 | 11 | 7 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 97 | 12 | |||
| Olympiacos | 2017–18 | Super League Greece | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 0 | – | 24 | 2 | ||
| Reims | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 1 | |
| Aston Villa | 2019–20 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||||
| Royal Antwerp | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2022–23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 140 | 18 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 195 | 19 | ||
Club Brugge
Aston Villa
Antwerp