Dante Vanzeir (born 16 April 1998) is a Belgian professional footballer who played as a forward and winger for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls and the Belgium national team.
Club career
Genk
Vanzeir is a youth exponent from K.R.C. Genk. He started playing in the young sector 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.
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 for 200 days.
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.
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 KRC Genk 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
1998 births
Living people
People 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 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