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Jef Mermans
Personal information
Mermans for Belgium in 1953
Full name	Josephus Antoon Louisa Mermans
Date of birth	(1922-02-16)16 February 1922
Place of birth	Merksem, Belgium
Date of death	20 January 1996(1996-01-20) (aged 73)
Place of death	Wildert, Belgium
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1932–1937	Tubantia FAC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1937–1942	Tubantia FAC	93	(65)
1942–1957	Anderlecht	382	(339)
1957–1960	Merksem SC	81	(41)
Total		556	(445)
International career
1945–1956	Belgium	56	(27)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Josephus Antoon Louisa "Jef" Mermans (16 February 1922 in Merksem – 20 January 1996 in Wildert), nicknamed "The Bomber", was a football striker from Belgium, who played much of his career at Anderlecht, with whom he won seven Belgian Championship titles and finished top scorer of this competition three times. He played 405 games and scored 369 goals for Anderlecht, making him the club's all time topscorer.

Mermans played 56 matches with the Belgium national football team, 2 of which were in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He is also the 6th top scorer ever for the Belgium national team with 27 goals.

Early career

In the early 1930s, the young Mermans, along with a couple of friends, could not afford to become members of FC Antwerp. Eventually, the boys tried their luck at Tubantia F.A.C., a small club in the Antwerp suburb, and forced themselves into the youth team.

Five years later, Mermans entered the first team. His progress caught the attention of the federal coach and Jef was selected for a Belgium B squad match against Luxembourg in January 1939. At this point, he received a proposal to play in the Beerschot team twice in two years, but Tubantia Borgerhout refused.

A member of the Anderlecht staff arrived at Borgerhout in 1942 with a blank check that was filled in with the record sum of 125,000 Belgian francs in a quarter of an hour.

Anderlecht career

On his arrival at Anderlecht, the Championship was quite erratic due to the World War II, but he helped Anderlecht in becoming a regular team. In 1947, Mermans was the key player in the conquest of the first Anderlecht title in first division as he scored 38 goals (succeeding to Bert De Cleyn as top scorer). He was top European goalscorer of the season 1949-1950 netting 37 goals. At the peak of his career, Anderlecht received offers from A.S. Roma, Torino Calcio, Atalanta Bergamo, Real Madrid, S.S. Lazio and Atlético Madrid but refused them all.

Late career

In 1957, the Bomber, as he was called for his powerful strikes, left Anderlecht for the small K. Olse Merksem club in his native town. With him, the club promoted from 3rd to 2nd division and even finished 4th in 1960 for its first season at this level. Later on, the club was renamed Olse Mermans to celebrate the player.

Career statistics

Club

Source:

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals
Tubantia Borgerhout	1937–38	Belgian Second Division	18	8
	1938–39	Belgian Second Division	22	9
	1939–40	Belgian Second Division	17	14
	1940–41	Belgian Second Division	19	14
	1941–42	Belgian Second Division	17	20
	Total		93	65
Anderlecht	1941–42	Belgian First Division	1	1
	1942–43	Belgian First Division	30	23
	1943–44	Belgian First Division	30	33
	1945–46	Belgian First Division	27	32
	1946–47	Belgian First Division	34	38
	1947–48	Belgian First Division	26	23
	1948–49	Belgian First Division	27	17
	1949–50	Belgian First Division	28	37
	1950–51	Belgian First Division	21	17
	1951–52	Belgian First Division	26	19
	1952–53	Belgian First Division	27	24
	1953–54	Belgian First Division	30	21
	1954–55	Belgian First Division	29	23
	1955–56	Belgian First Division	24	19
	1956–57	Belgian First Division	22	12
	Total		382	339
Olse Merksem	1958–59	Belgian Third Division	26	11
	1959–60	Belgian Third Division	26	20
	1960–61	Belgian Third Division	29	10
	Total		81	41
Career total			556	445

Note: The goals that Mermans scored in the games of the uncompleted 1944-45 season are not taken into account.

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Belgium	1945	1	0
	1946	2	0
	1947	3	1
	1948	6	3
	1949	7	4
	1950	7	12
	1951	6	1
	1952	5	2
	1953	5	0
	1954	8	3
	1955	4	0
	1956	3	1
Total		56	27

Honours

RSC Anderlecht

Belgian First Division: 1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56; runners-up: 1943–44, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1956–57

Olse Merksem

Belgian Third Division: 1958–59

Individual

Belgian First Division top scorer: 1946–47 (39 goals), 1947–48 (23 goals), 1949–50 (37 goals)
European topscorer: 1949-1950 (37 goals)
World League topscorer: 1949–50
Belgian Silver Shoe: 1954
Belgian Bronze Shoe: 1955
Golden Medal of Sports Merit: 1955
Belgian Golden Shoe of the 20th Century (1995): 9th place
A stadium, Jef Mermansstadion in Merksem.

Books

Mijn voetbal en ik by Jef Mermans in 1952, Uitgeverij STADION 126 p. (Dutch)
Joseph Mermans - L Anderlechtois aux ... 50 capes! by Marcel Grosjean in 1954, 36 p. (French)
Eeuwige 25: Anderlecht: van Jef Mermans tot Vincent Kompany by Raf Willems in 2019, Willems Uitgevers, 107 p. (Dutch, French) ISBN 9789492419651
Jef Mermans. Bombardier: de voetballer die Anderlecht naar de top loodste by Stefan van Loock in 2022, Willems Uitgevers, 276 p. (Dutch) ISBN 9789493242586

References

"Jef Mermans: bombardier van Anderlecht over de Bevrijding". boeken.doorbraak.be (in Dutch). 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
"Wie was Jef Mermans?". berchem-sport.com (in Dutch). 31 August 2019.
"NIEUW TRANSFERRECORD IN HET JAAR 1948". rbfa.be (in Dutch). 16 January 2024.
"European topscorers by season". Retrieved 5 May 2020.
"Mermans, Jef". anderlecht-online.be (in Dutch). 16 January 2024.
"Club Appearances of Jef Mermans". national-football-teams.com. 15 January 2024.
"Jef MERMANS - Footballer stats by year". eu-football.info. 11 January 2024.
"Palmares". Officiele website Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht.
"De Piraten Gazet - Geschiedenis" (in Dutch). 20 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018.
"Eerste klasse A - Topsc. per seizoen". voetbal.com.
"World League Topscorers 1889-2005". rsssf.org. 23 January 2024.
"Winnaars Gouden Schoen".
"Jef MERMANS". labdarugo.be (in Dutch). 16 January 2024.
"Soulier d'or belge". www.football-the-story.com.
"City Pirates". www.citypirates.be (in Dutch). 30 December 2022.

Jef Mermans at National-Football-Teams.com

v t e Belgium squad – 1954 FIFA World Cup
1 Gernaey 2 Dries 3 Van Brandt 4 Huysmans 5 Carré 6 Mees 7 Vliers 8 Houf 9 Coppens 10 Anoul 11 Mermans (c) 12 Geerts 13 Dirickx 14 Van Kerkhoven 15 H. Van den Bosch 16 P. Van den Bosch 17 Ausloos 18 Van Der Linden 19 Backaert 20 Maertens 21 Van Steen 22 Van Hoywegen Coach: Livingstone

v t e Belgian Pro League top scorers
1895–96: Hickson 1896–97: Hickson 1897–98: König 1898–99: König 1899–1900: Atkinson-Grimshaw 1900–01: Potts 1901–02: Potts 1902–03: Vanderstappen 1903–04: Vanderstappen 1904–05: De Veen 1905–06: De Veen 1906–07: Vertongen 1907–08: Vertongen 1908–09: Kevorkian 1909–10: Vertongen 1910–11: Six 1911–12: Bunyan 1912–13: Brébart 1913–14: Bunyan 1919–20: Vlamynck 1920–21: Thys 1921–22: Thys 1922–23: Meyskens 1923–24: Jooris 1924–25: Taeymans 1925–26: Grimmonprez 1926–27: Fabry 1927–28: Braine 1928–29: Braine 1929–30: De Vidts 1930–31: Secrétin 1931–32: Delmez 1932–33: Ulens 1933–34: Van Landeghem 1934–35: Mondelé 1935–36: Lambrechts 1936–37: Collet 1937–38: Mondelé 1938–39: Wagner 1939–40: Voorhoof (unofficial) 1941–42: De Cleyn 1942–43: Van Craen & Ceuleers 1943–44: Goossens 1945–46: De Cleyn 1946–47: Mermans 1947–48: Mermans 1948–49: Thirifays 1949–50: Mermans 1950–51: Dehert 1951–52: Mannaerts 1952–53: Coppens 1953–54: Van den Bosch 1954–55: Coppens 1955–56: Mathonet 1956–57: Willems 1957–58: Van Gool & Vliers 1958–59: Wégria 1959–60: Wégria 1960–61: Wégria 1961–62: Stockman 1962–63: Wégria 1963–64: Van Himst 1964–65: Colonval 1965–66: Van Himst 1966–67: Mulder 1967–68: Van Himst & Claessen 1968–69: Nagy 1969–70: Emmerich 1970–71: Kostedde 1971–72: Lambert 1972–73: Rensenbrink & Riedl 1973–74: Ladinszky 1974–75: Riedl 1975–76: Posthumus 1976–77: Van Der Elst 1977–78: Nickel 1978–79: Albert 1979–80: Vandenbergh 1980–81: Vandenbergh 1981–82: Vandenbergh 1982–83: Vandenbergh 1983–84: Claesen 1984–85: Martens 1985–86: Vandenbergh 1986–87: Gudjohnsen 1987–88: Severeyns 1988–89: Krncevic 1989–90: Farina 1990–91: Vandenbergh 1991–92: Weber 1992–93: Weber 1993–94: Weber 1994–95: Vidmar 1995–96: Stanić 1996–97: Špehar 1997–98: Strupar 1998–99: Koller 1999–2000: Årst & Brogno 2000–01: Radzinski 2001–02: Sonck 2002–03: Sonck & Roussel 2003–04: Pieroni 2004–05: Jestrović 2005–06: Dosunmu 2006–07: Sterchele 2007–08: Akpala 2008–09: Ruiz 2009–10: Lukaku 2010–11: Perišić 2011–12: Perbet 2012–13: Bacca 2013–14: Harbaoui 2014–15: Mitrović 2015–16: Perbet 2016–17: Teodorczyk 2017–18: Harbaoui 2018–19: Harbaoui 2019–20: Mbokani 2020–21: Onuachu 2021–22: Undav 2022–23: Cuypers 2023–24: Denkey

Belgian Pro League top scorers

1895–96: Hickson
1896–97: Hickson
1897–98: König
1898–99: König
1899–1900: Atkinson-Grimshaw
1900–01: Potts
1901–02: Potts
1902–03: Vanderstappen
1903–04: Vanderstappen
1904–05: De Veen
1905–06: De Veen
1906–07: Vertongen
1907–08: Vertongen
1908–09: Kevorkian
1909–10: Vertongen
1910–11: Six
1911–12: Bunyan
1912–13: Brébart
1913–14: Bunyan
1919–20: Vlamynck
1920–21: Thys
1921–22: Thys
1922–23: Meyskens
1923–24: Jooris
1924–25: Taeymans
1925–26: Grimmonprez
1926–27: Fabry
1927–28: Braine
1928–29: Braine
1929–30: De Vidts
1930–31: Secrétin
1931–32: Delmez
1932–33: Ulens
1933–34: Van Landeghem
1934–35: Mondelé
1935–36: Lambrechts
1936–37: Collet
1937–38: Mondelé
1938–39: Wagner
1939–40: Voorhoof (unofficial)
1941–42: De Cleyn
1942–43: Van Craen & Ceuleers
1943–44: Goossens
1945–46: De Cleyn
1946–47: Mermans
1947–48: Mermans
1948–49: Thirifays
1949–50: Mermans
1950–51: Dehert
1951–52: Mannaerts
1952–53: Coppens
1953–54: Van den Bosch
1954–55: Coppens
1955–56: Mathonet
1956–57: Willems
1957–58: Van Gool & Vliers
1958–59: Wégria
1959–60: Wégria
1960–61: Wégria
1961–62: Stockman
1962–63: Wégria
1963–64: Van Himst
1964–65: Colonval
1965–66: Van Himst
1966–67: Mulder
1967–68: Van Himst & Claessen
1968–69: Nagy
1969–70: Emmerich
1970–71: Kostedde
1971–72: Lambert
1972–73: Rensenbrink & Riedl
1973–74: Ladinszky
1974–75: Riedl
1975–76: Posthumus
1976–77: Van Der Elst
1977–78: Nickel
1978–79: Albert
1979–80: Vandenbergh
1980–81: Vandenbergh
1981–82: Vandenbergh
1982–83: Vandenbergh
1983–84: Claesen
1984–85: Martens
1985–86: Vandenbergh
1986–87: Gudjohnsen
1987–88: Severeyns
1988–89: Krncevic
1989–90: Farina
1990–91: Vandenbergh
1991–92: Weber
1992–93: Weber
1993–94: Weber
1994–95: Vidmar
1995–96: Stanić
1996–97: Špehar
1997–98: Strupar
1998–99: Koller
1999–2000: Årst & Brogno
2000–01: Radzinski
2001–02: Sonck
2002–03: Sonck & Roussel
2003–04: Pieroni
2004–05: Jestrović
2005–06: Dosunmu
2006–07: Sterchele
2007–08: Akpala
2008–09: Ruiz
2009–10: Lukaku
2010–11: Perišić
2011–12: Perbet
2012–13: Bacca
2013–14: Harbaoui
2014–15: Mitrović
2015–16: Perbet
2016–17: Teodorczyk
2017–18: Harbaoui
2018–19: Harbaoui
2019–20: Mbokani
2020–21: Onuachu
2021–22: Undav
2022–23: Cuypers
2023–24: Denkey

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