 Praet playing forAnderlecht in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dennis Praet[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-05-14)14 May 1994 (age 30)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Leuven, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Antwerp | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | SJV Motbroek | ||
| 2000–2002 | Stade Leuven | ||
| 2002–2003 | OH Leuven | ||
| 2003–2010 | Genk | ||
| 2010–2011 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2016 | Anderlecht | 139 | (20) |
| 2016–2019 | Sampdoria | 98 | (4) |
| 2019–2024 | Leicester City | 81 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | →Torino (loan) | 23 | (2) |
| 2024– | Antwerp | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009 | Belgium U15 | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Belgium U16 | 10 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Belgium U17 | 11 | (2) |
| 2011 | Belgium U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2012 | Belgium U19 | 7 | (2) |
| 2012–2016 | Belgium U21 | 17 | (2) |
| 2014– | Belgium | 15 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:51, 11 June 2022 (UTC) | |||
Dennis Praet (born 14 May 1994) is a Belgian professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forBelgian Pro League clubAntwerp and theBelgium national team.
Praet was born inLeuven,Flemish Brabant.[4]
Praet joined theGenk youth academy in 2003 at the age of eight. He went on to spend most of his youth career at Genk, where he quickly made an impression and played for the club's youth teams until 2010.[5][6] He was part of a strong generation at the club and scouts considered him one of the top talents. He became part of Belgium's youth teams and attracted the interest of clubs likeArsenal,Barcelona,Ajax andLille.[5][7]
In May 2010 Praet transferred fromGenk toAnderlecht turning down more lucrative offers.[5][6] At Anderlecht he started out with the under-19 team, continuing to impress. In 2011, he received the prize for best player during theAEGON Future Cup in Amsterdam, a youth tournament in which teams likeAjax andBayern Munich also competed.[8]
Praet debuted in Anderlecht's first team on 21 September 2011 starting in theBelgian Cup againstLommel United and provided two assists in a 4–0 win.[9] In the next round of the cup, he scored his first official goal for Anderlecht, againstRupel Boom. Not long after, on 30 October, he also made his debut in theBelgian Pro League as a substitute forFernando Canesin while playing againstLierse. In March 2012, Praet signed a new contract until 2015.[10]
During the2012–13 season, Praet played regularly for Anderlecht as the club won their second straight league title.[5] A two-year contract extension was agreed in early 2014 to take him through to the summer of 2017. He scored the third goal in Anderlecht's 3–1Jupiler Pro League play-off win overLokeren on 25 May 2014 to seal Anderlecht's 33rd league title, and their third in a row.[11]
Praet made his 100th competitive appearance for the club in the league match atClub Brugge on 31 August 2014.[12] On 16 September, he scored away toGalatasaray in theUEFA Champions League group stage to put Anderlecht in front, but the Turkish club equalised in added time.[13] His first league goal of the 2014–15 season came in the 2–2 draw at home toClub Brugge when he scored Anderlecht's opening goal to equalise midway through the first-half. Like his strike against Galatasaray in the Champions League, it went in off the post. He scored in four consecutive games for Anderlecht between 14 and 26 December 2014, with the league wins overOostende,Waasland Beveren andWesterlo and theBelgian Cup win againstZulte Waregem.
This rich of form at the end of the year was rewarded at a ceremony on 14 January 2015 where Praet won the 2014Belgian Golden Shoe, the annual award given to the best player in theJupiler Pro League for the previous calendar year.[9] He polled five points (250) ahead ofVíctor Vázquez ofClub Brugge (245).[14][15]
On 24 August 2016, Praet's move toSampdoria was finalised. Sampdoria paid a transfer fee of €10 million.[16] After being heavily linked with a move to reigningSerie A championsJuventus during the 2018 summer transfer window, in November 2018, Praet signed a contract extension with Sampdoria, extending his stay at the club until 2021.[17]
Praet was an ever present in the Sampdoria side during his three-year spell, appearing in 98Serie A games and scoring four goals, as the club finished in the top half of the table all three seasons.[9]
On 8 August 2019, Praet signed forPremier League clubLeicester City on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of €20 million.[9][18] On 18 August 2019, he made his league debut as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw againstChelsea.[19] On 11 January 2020, Praet scored his first goal for Leicester City in 1–2 defeat againstSouthampton.[20] On 20 September 2020, he scored his second goal in a 4–2 win overBurnley.[21]
On 31 August 2021, Praet joinedTorino on a season-long loan.[22]
Praet returned to Leicester for the 2022–23 season, scoring his only goal of thePremier League campaign in a 4–2 away win overAston Villa on 4 February 2023.[23] However, the club were relegation after ending up in the 18th position on the league table.[24]
In the 2023–24 season, he achieved theEFL Championship with the club, securing promotion back to the Premier League. On 7 June 2024, he was among the players announced to depart the club upon the conclusion of the season.[25]
On 6 September 2024, Praet signed a contract withAntwerp for two seasons with an option for a third.[26]
Praet has represented Belgium at every age group under-15 and older making an appearance in the U21 team a mere three years after first playing for the U15 team.[5]
On 6 November 2014, Praet received his first call up to the seniorBelgian squad for the friendly at home toIceland on 12 November, and theEuro 2016 Qualifier againstWales on 16 November. He made his senior international début coming on as a 76th-minute substitute forChristian Benteke after all four goals had been scored in the 3–1 friendly win overIceland in Brussels.[9]
Praet earned his second cap for Belgium almost four years on from his debut featuring in a 1–1 draw againstrivalsNetherlands in October 2018.[17] On 17 May 2021, he was named in the Belgian squad for theUEFA Euro 2020.[27]
| 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 | ||
| Anderlecht | 2011–12 | Belgian Pro League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | Belgian Pro League | 27 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | 6[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 1 | 40 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Belgian Pro League | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 6[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 46 | 5 | ||
| 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 30 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | 6[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2015–16[e] | Belgian Pro League | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 9[f] | 0 | — | 46 | 6 | |||
| 2016–17 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[f] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 139 | 20 | 12 | 4 | — | 28 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 182 | 27 | |||
| Sampdoria | 2016–17 | Serie A | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 1 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 34 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 37 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 98 | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 106 | 4 | |||||
| Leicester City | 2019–20 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[f] | 1 | — | 24 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| Total | 81 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 107 | 5 | |||
| Torino (loan) | 2021–22 | Serie A | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 339 | 29 | 31 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 417 | 38 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 March 2021 | Den Dreef,Leuven, Belgium | 10 |  Belarus | 5–0 | 8–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [33] |
| 2 | 8 September 2021 | Central Stadium,Kazan, Russia | 14 | 1–0 | 1–0 | [34] |
Anderlecht
Leicester City
Individual
adidas Beste Speler van de AEGON Future Cup 2011: Anderlecht-middenvelder Dennis Praet nam de prijs voor Beste Speler van het toernooi in ontvangst uit handen van Ajacied Christian Eriksen.
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a Kaminski replaced Mignolet after Belgium's round of 16 match. | ||