Dennis Eckert
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Dennis-Yerai Eckert Ayensa[1][2] | ||
Date of birth | 9 January 1997 | ||
Place of birth | Bonn, Germany | ||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward, winger | ||
Team information | |||
Current team |
Standard Liège (on loan from Union SG) | ||
Number | 11 | ||
Youth career | |||
2001–2007 | Pulheimer SC | ||
2007–2011 | 1. FC Köln | ||
2011–2013 | Alemannia Aachen | ||
2013–2015 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2015–2017 | Borussia Mönchengladbach II | 4 | (0) |
2017–2018 | Celta B | 48 | (9) |
2018–2019 | Celta | 9 | (0) |
2019 | → Excelsior (loan) | 12 | (2) |
2019–2022 | FC Ingolstadt | 78 | (25) |
2022– | Union SG | 42 | (11) |
2024– | → Standard Liège | 0 | (0) |
International career | |||
2015 | Germany U19 | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 September 2024 |
Dennis-Yerai Eckert Ayensa (born 9 January 1997) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Standard Liège on loan from Union SG.[3]
Club career
[edit]Early career
[edit]After stints at Pulheimer SC, 1. FC Köln, and Alemannia Aachen, Eckert joined Borussia Mönchengladbach's youth setup in 2013 and made appearances in the UEFA Youth League.[4][5] He made his senior debut with the latter's reserve team on 5 September 2015 in a 2–2 Regionalliga home draw against SSVg Velbert.[6]
Celta Vigo
[edit]On 4 July 2017, Eckert joined Celta de Vigo and was initially assigned to the B-team in Segunda División B.[7] He made his first-team debut on 18 August of the following year, coming on as a late substitute for Maxi Gómez in a 1–1 La Liga home draw against RCD Espanyol.[8]
Loan to Excelsior
[edit]On 31 January 2019, Eckert joined Eredivisie side SBV Excelsior until June.[9] He scored the game-winning goal on 17 February in a 2–1 comeback win against FC Emmen for his first top-flight goal.[10]
FC Ingolstadt
[edit]On 2 September 2019, FC Ingolstadt announced the signing of Eckert.[11] He scored a goal and provided an assist in his debut for the club on 15 September 2019.[12] Eckert finished the season with 14 goals in 30 league matches, helping Ingolstadt reach the promotion play-offs.[13] Eckert helped Ingolstadt reach the promotion play-offs again the following season, leading Ingolstadt to the 2. Bundesliga.[14]
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
[edit]On 20 June 2022, Eckert signed for Belgian side Union SG ahead of their 2022–23 season after scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 78 league matches for Ingolstadt.[15][16] He scored his first goal for Union in a pre-season match against Feyenoord on 16 July 2022.[17] Eckert made his Belgian Pro League debut on 23 July 2022 in their opening match against Sint-Truiden.[18] He made his senior UEFA competition debut on 9 August 2022 in a 2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualification match against Scottish side Rangers.[19][16] He scored his first league goal in his following match on 31 August 2022 against Royal Antwerp at the Bosuilstadion.[20]
The following season, Eckert scored the first goal of the league season in the opening match against Anderlecht on 28 July 2023.[21] He scored his first senior European competition goal on 24 August 2023 during the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League play-off match against Lugano.[22] Eckert scored the winning goal on 22 February 2024 against German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt to help lead Union to the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16.[23] He scored the winning goal again in the following match on 25 February 2024 during a league game against Standard Liège, keeping his team in first place in the regular season league table.[24] On 9 May 2024, Eckert won his first senior title when Union won the Belgian Cup.[25]
Eckert began the following 2024–25 season with a win against Club Brugge in the 2024 Belgian Super Cup on 20 July 2024, helping Union win their first Belgian Super Cup title.[26] He scored his first league goal of the season during their home opener on 2 August 2024 against Beerschot.[27]
Standard Liège (loan)
[edit]On 6 September 2024, Eckert joined fellow Belgian Pro League side Standard Liège on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy.[28] He scored his first league goal for the club on 20 October 2024 against Charleroi.[29]
International career
[edit]Youth
[edit]Eckert has played for the Germany U19 national team.[30]
Outside football
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Eckert was born and raised in Bonn to a Galician mother and a German father of Iranian descent, along with his brother Joel who played college soccer for Cape Breton University.[30][31][32] Iranian actress Anahita Dargahi is his aunt.[33] Eckert holds dual German and Spanish citizenship, and is fluent in German, English, and Spanish, while knowing minimal Persian.[5][2]
Sponsorship
[edit]Eckert is outfitted by American sportswear supplier Nike.[34][35]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 6 September 2024[16]
Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Borussia Mönchengladbach II | 2015–16 | Regionalliga | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
2016–17 | Regionalliga | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
Celta B | 2017–18 | Segunda División B | 36 | 8 | — | — | 4[b] | 0 | 40 | 8 | ||
2018–19 | Segunda División B | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
Total | 48 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 9 | ||
Celta | 2018–19 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
Excelsior (loan) | 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
FC Ingolstadt | 2019–20 | 3. Liga | 30 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 32 | 14 | |
2020–21 | 3. Liga | 24 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 1 | 26 | 10 | ||
2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | |||
Total | 78 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 83 | 26 | ||
Union SG | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | |
2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 31 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 10[f] | 3 | — | 44 | 7 | ||
2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[g] | 0 | 1[h] | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
Total | 42 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 14 | ||
Career total | 193 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 228 | 51 |
- ^ Includes Copa del Rey, DFB-Pokal, Belgian Cup
- ^ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
- ^ Appearances in Eredivisie relegation play-offs
- ^ a b Appearances in 2. Bundesliga relegation play-offs
- ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance(s) in Belgian Super Cup
Honours
[edit]Union SG
References
[edit]- ^ "Dennis Eckert-Ayensa".
- ^ a b "Schanzer Styles & Storys". 23 October 2019.
- ^ "DANKE & SERVUS, DENNIS! MITTELSTÜRMER WECHSELT NACH BELGIEN". FC Ingolstadt 04 (in German). 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Dennis Eckert, el gol como tarjeta de presentación" [Dennis Eckert, the goal as a presentation card] (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Von der Regionalliga in LaLiga: Das Märchen des Dennis Eckert | Goal.com Deutschland". www.goal.com (in German). 15 November 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Borussia M'gladbach II vs. SSVg Velbert - 5 September 2015 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Víctor Pastrana y Dennis Eckert, nuevas incorporaciones del Celta B" [Víctor Pastrana and Dennis Eckert, new additions of Celta B] (in Spanish). Celta Vigo. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ "Tablas para ir calentando" [Draw to start preparing] (in Spanish). Marca. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ "Dennis Eckert, cedido al SBV Excelsior de la Eredivisie" [Dennis Eckert, loaned to Eredivisie's SBV Excelsior] (in Spanish). Celta Vigo. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Eckert anota el gol del triunfo del Excelsior". ElDesmarque Vigo. 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Eckert Ayensa kommt, Kerschbaumer geht: FCI-Personalplanungen abgeschlossen" (in German). FC Ingolstadt 04. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Niederlage trotz Schlussoffensive: Schanzer müssen sich Halle geschlagen geben". Die Schanzer. 15 September 2019.
- ^ GmbH, LigaInsider (15 July 2020). "Arminia Bielefeld: Haben die Ostwestfalen Eckert Ayensa im Visier?". www.ligainsider.de.
- ^ "Osnabrück score three at home, but Ingolstadt take promotion playoff". Bulinews. 30 May 2021.
- ^ @UnionStGilloise (24 June 2022). "🔥 𝑫𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒔 𝑬𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑨𝒚𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒂 📍 Striker🇩🇪 German📆 25 years🟨🟦" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c "Germany - D. Eckert - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway".
- ^ "Feyenoord Rotterdam vs. Union St.-Gilloise - Football Match Summary - July 16, 2022 - ESPN".
- ^ "Sint-Truidense vs. Union St.-Gilloise - Football Match Summary - July 23, 2022 - ESPN".
- ^ "Rangers-St Gilloise | UEFA Champions League 2022/23".
- ^ "Dubbelslag Janssen helpt Van Bommel aan koppositie". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 31 August 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ https://twitter.com/prznsoccer/status/1685018113488650240 [bare URL]
- ^ "Union SG-Lugano | UEFA Europa League 2023/24".
- ^ "Eintracht Frankfurt v Union Saint-Gilloise". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Twee goals in vier minuten bezorgen Union de overwinning tegen Standard | sporza". sporza.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Machida goal is enough to secure Union first Belgian silverware for 89 years". Inside World Football. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ a b "L'Union s'adjuge la Supercoupe de Belgique: le 15e trophée de son histoire". sudinfo.be (in French). 21 July 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Union SG 3-1 Beerschot (Aug 2, 2024) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Dennis ECKERT AYENSA is een Rouche" [Dennis ECKERT AYENSA is a Rouche]. standard.be/nl (in Dutch). 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ "Eckert Ayensa ouvre son compteur mais rate un penalty, O'Neill en mode diesel : Les notes des Liégeois après la victoire sur Charleroi".
- ^ a b Mir Farhad Ali Khan (August 2018). "Dennis Eckert: Future Team Melli call-up?". PersianFootball.com.
- ^ "Joel Eckert-Ayensa".
- ^ "Beyond the Game Joel Eckert-Ayensa". YouTube. 13 October 2015.
- ^ "فوتبال 120/ بخش کامل گفت و گو با دنیس اکرت ستاره ایرانی - بلژیکی". فوتبالی (in Persian). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Dennis Eckert Ayensa Football Boots". Football Boots DB. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Belgian Club Touts New Kit Deal as Win for Fans, Environment". 2 May 2023.
External links
[edit]- Dennis Eckert at BDFutbol
- Dennis Eckert at Soccerway
- 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