Dante Vanzeir

Dante Vanzeir (born 16 April 1998) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward and winger for Gent and the Belgium national team.

Club career

Genk

Born in Beringen, Vanzeir is a youth exponent from K.R.C. Genk. He started playing with the youth academy of Genk when he was eleven.

He made his Belgian Pro League debut on 18 September 2016 in a 2–0 home defeat against Anderlecht, replacing Leon Bailey after 81 minutes. Vanzeir scored his first goal in the Belgian Pro League on 24 January 2018 in a 2–1 victory against Lokeren. On 20 July 2019, Vanzeir scored the third goal for Genk in a 3-0 victory over Mechelen in the 2019 Belgian Super Cup.

Loan to Beerschot Wilrijk

For the 2018–19 season Vanzeir was loaned to Beerschot Wilrijk in the second-tier First Division B. While with Beerschot Wilrijk he contributed 16 goals in 39 matches helping his team compete at the top of the division and narrowly missing out on promotion.

Loan to KV Mechelen

For the 2019–20 season Vanzeir was loaned to newly promoted top flight club KV Mechelen. On 20 September 2019 he scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–2 victory against K.V. Kortrijk.

Union SG

On 30 July 2020, Genk announced that they had sold Vanzeir to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, with whom he signed a contract until the summer of 2023. With Union, he became champion in First Division B on 13 March 2021, with Union returning to the Belgian First Division after 48 years. Vanzeir had a big part in the title win, being the club's top scorer and the joint top scorer of the competition with 19 league goals.

On 25 July 2021, the day of his return to the Jupiler Pro League, Vanzeir provided an assist for the go-ahead goal in the Brussels derby against RSC Anderlecht, which Union eventually won 3–1. Two days later, Vanzeir extended his contract until 2024, with an option for an additional year. On 28 August he scored a hat-trick in the home game against Standard Liège. Thanks to the front strike-force of Vanzeir and Deniz Undav, Union finished second behind Club Brugge in their first season back in the top flight since 1973. Union had been top of the table for 200 days.

On 2 August 2022, Vanzeir scored his first international goal in a 2–0 victory over Rangers, at the Den Dreef Stadium in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League.

New York Red Bulls

On 3 February 2023, New York Red Bulls announced that they had acquired Vanzeir from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. On 18 March 2023, Vanzeir scored his first goal for New York, an 86th minute strike, helping his club to a 2–1 victory over Columbus Crew.

Vanzeir made his first start for the Red Bulls on 8 April 2023. During the second half of the match, Vanzeir used a racial slur;
the incident resulted in a lengthy stoppage in play. He was suspended for six matches and given an undisclosed fine. Vanzeir claimed in an interview he called the referee a "monkey" thinking it meant "clown."

On 30 July 2023, Vanzeir helped New York to a 2–1 victory over Atlético San Luis in the Leagues Cup, scoring two goals including a stoppage time winner which helped his club advance to the next round. These were the first two goals scored in the competition by the club. On 23 March 2024, Vanzeir recorded a club record 4 assists in a 4–0 win over Inter Miami. On 6 April 2024, Vanzeir scored his first goal of the season and assisted on another in a 2–1 victory over FC Cincinnati. On 23 November 2024, Vanzeir scored and assisted on another for New York in a 2-0 victory over New York City FC, helping Red Bulls to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

Gent

After struggling for goals in MLS, Vanzeir returned to Belgium on 24 January 2025, signing with Gent until June 2028 for a reported transfer fee of $3 million.

International career

In November 2021, he was called up to the senior Belgium squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, on 13 and 16 November against Estonia and Wales respectively. He made his debut against Wales.

Personal life

Vanzeir is of Polish and Ukrainian descent through his mother. His sister, Luna Vanzeir, is also a football player. She plays for Anderlecht of the Super League.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Genk
* Belgian Super Cup: 2019
* Belgian Cup runner-up: 2017–18

Union SG
*Belgian Pro League runner-up: 2021–22
*Belgian First Division B: 2020–21

Individual
* Belgian Second Division Footballer of the Year: 2020–21
*Belgian First Division B top scorer: 2020–21 (joint – 19 goals)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanzeir, Dante
1998 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Beringen, Belgium
Footballers from Limburg (Belgium)
Belgian men's footballers
Belgian people of Polish descent
Belgian people of Ukrainian descent
Men's association football wingers
K.R.C. Genk players
K Beerschot VA players
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise players
Belgian Pro League players
Challenger Pro League players
Belgium men's youth international footballers
Belgium men's under-21 international footballers
Belgium men's international footballers
New York Red Bulls players
K.A.A. Gent players
Belgian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Belgian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Designated Players (MLS)
Major League Soccer players
21st-century Belgian sportsmen