Dennis-Yerai Eckert Ayensa (born 9 January 1997) is a German professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...

on loan from

Union SG Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (), also known as Union Saint-Gilloise, Union SG or simply Union, is a Belgian professional football club from Brussels based in Forest. Founded in 1897 in the neighbouring Saint-Gilles, the club has played its home ...

Club career

Early career

After stints at Pulheimer SC,

1. FC Köln 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., better known as simply 1. FC Köln () or FC Cologne in English language, English, is a German professional association football, football club based in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 ...

, and

Alemannia Aachen Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e. V., short Alemannia Aachen (), is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long-term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three- ...

, Eckert joined

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

's youth setup in 2013 and made appearances in the

UEFA Youth League The UEFA Youth League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2013. In its current format, it is contested by the under-19 teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions Le ...

. He made his senior debut with the latter's

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

on 5 September 2015 in a 2–2

Regionalliga A (, plural ) is a regional league in numerous Sports governing body, sports governing bodies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, usually located in the upper or middle tiers of the sports leagues. The term is often associated with the Germa ...

home draw against

SSVg Velbert SSVg Velbert is a German association football club based in Velbert, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was founded in 1902 as ''Velberter FC 02'' and is the third oldest football club in the region. History Early predecessors Several other prede ...

Celta Vigo

On 4 July 2017, Eckert joined

Celta de Vigo Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was fou ...

and was initially assigned to the B-team in

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

. He made his first-team debut on 18 August of the following year, coming on as a late substitute for

Maxi Gómez Maximiliano "Maxi" Gómez González (; born 14 August 1996) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Defensor Sporting and the Uruguay national team. Having begun his career with Defensor Sporting, he moved to Spain i ...

in a 1–1

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

home draw against

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...

Loan to Excelsior

On 31 January 2019, Eckert joined

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

side

SBV Excelsior Excelsior Rotterdam, commonly known as Excelsior, is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of the Dutch football league system, following promotion from the Eerste D ...

until June. He scored the game-winning goal on 17 February in a 2–1 comeback win against

FC Emmen FC Emmen is a Dutch professional football club based in Emmen, Drenthe. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2022–23 season. Founded in 1925, the club ...

for his first top-flight goal.

FC Ingolstadt

On 2 September 2019, FC Ingolstadt announced the signing of Eckert. He scored a goal and provided an assist in his debut for the club on 15 September 2019. Eckert finished the season with 14 goals in 30 league matches, helping Ingolstadt reach the promotion play-offs. Eckert helped Ingolstadt reach the promotion play-offs again the following season, leading Ingolstadt to the 2. Bundesliga.

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

On 20 June 2022, Eckert signed for Belgian side

ahead of their 2022–23 season after scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 78 league matches for Ingolstadt. He scored his first goal for Union in a pre-season match against

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

on 16 July 2022. Eckert made his

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...

debut on 23 July 2022 in their opening match against

Sint-Truiden Sint-Truiden (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium. With more than 41,500 inhabitants, it is on ...

. He made his senior

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

competition debut on 9 August 2022 in a 2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualification match against Scottish side

Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

. He scored his first league goal in his following match on 31 August 2022 against

Royal Antwerp Royal Antwerp Football Club (commonly referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp) is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Antwerp. They compete in the Belgian Pro League, the top flight of Belgian football. Founded in 1 ...

at the

Bosuilstadion The Bosuilstadion is an association football stadium in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. The stadium was opened in 1923 and has been the home of Royal Antwerp ever since. It has a capacity of 16,144,

. The following season, Eckert scored the first goal of the league season in the opening match against

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

on 28 July 2023. He scored his first senior European competition goal on 24 August 2023 during the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League play-off match against

Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...

. Eckert scored the winning goal on 22 February 2024 against German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

side

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...

to help lead Union to the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16. He scored the winning goal again in the following match on 25 February 2024 during a league game against

, keeping his team in first place in the regular season league table. On 9 May 2024, Eckert won his first senior title when Union won the

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...

. Eckert began the following 2024–25 season with a win against

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...

in the

2024 Belgian Super Cup The 2024 Belgian Super Cup is a football match that was scheduled to take place on 20 July 2024 between Club Brugge, winners of the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League, and Union SG, winners of the 2023–24 Belgian Cup. Match Details Assistant ref ...

on 20 July 2024, helping Union win their first

Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( ; ; ), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian Pro League champions (also received the Super Cup host) and the Belgian Cup winners. If both teams are the same, ...

title. He scored his first league goal of the season during their home opener on 2 August 2024 against

Beerschot Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen (), or simply Beerschot, is a Belgian professional football club located in Antwerp, that competes in the top tier Pro League after promotion from second tier in 2023–24 season. In 2013, KFCO Wil ...

Standard Liège (loan)

On 6 September 2024, Eckert joined fellow Belgian Pro League side

on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy. He scored his first league goal for the club on 20 October 2024 against

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

Standard Liège

In March 2025 during the 2024–25 season, Standard Liège exercised the purchase option on Eckert, signing him to a contract with the club that will run until 2028.

International career

Youth

Eckert has played for the Germany U19 national team.

Outside football

Personal life

Eckert was born and raised in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

to a Galician mother and a German father of Iranian descent, along with his brother Joel who played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

for

Cape Breton University Cape Breton University (CBU) is a public university located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the only post-secondary degree-granting institution within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and on Cape Breton Island. The university is enabl ...

. Iranian actress

Anahita Dargahi Anahita Dargahi (; born ) is an Iranian actress. She is best known for her roles in the web series ''Forbidden'' (2018–2019), ''I Want to Live (TV series), I Want to Live'' (2021), and ''The North Pole'' (2024). Dargahi received a Hafez Awards ...

is his

aunt An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. Alternate terms include auntie or aunty. Aunt, auntie, and aunty also may be titles bestowed b ...

. Eckert holds dual

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Spanish citizenship The Spanish nationality legal framework refers to all the laws, provisions, regulations, and resolutions in Spain concerning nationality. Article 11 of the First Title of the Spanish Constitution refers to Spanish nationality and establishes ...

, and is fluent in

, English, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, while knowing minimal

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Sponsorship

Eckert is outfitted by American sportswear supplier

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Career statistics

Honours

Union SG *

: 2023–24 *

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eckert, Dennis 1997 births Living people Footballers from Bonn German men's footballers Germany men's youth international footballers German people of Spanish descent German people of Iranian descent Sportspeople of Iranian descent Men's association football forwards Regionalliga players Segunda División B players La Liga players Eredivisie players 3. Liga players 2. Bundesliga players Belgian Pro League players Borussia Mönchengladbach II players RC Celta Fortuna players RC Celta de Vigo players Excelsior Rotterdam players FC Ingolstadt 04 players Royale Union Saint-Gilloise players Standard Liège players German expatriate men's footballers German expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain German expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands German expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium 21st-century German sportsmen