Top facts about Thomas Meunier, La Machine

Thomas Meunier (born September 12, 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays right defender for Bundesliga club

and the national team of Belgium.

Thomas Meunier’s age

is 30.

Meunier was born in the Luxembourg province of Sainte-Ode and raised in the village of Lavacherie as the son of a nurse and a technician.

Because there were no proper football pitches nearby, the boy, who preferred to play in attack, had to begin his football career at local club RUS Sainte-Ode before enrolling in Standard Liège's football school.

The reason for this was his selection to the regional selection, which allowed the then 12-year-old to attend the club's standards boarding school.

Following Virton's relegation to the third division, Meunier, who completed his studies in Bastogne, worked alongside football as a postman and later as a warehouseman for a car window manufacturer.

The forward scored several goals for the club, some of which went viral on social media, attracting the attention of bigger clubs in the country, including RSC Anderlecht and KV Kortrijk. Meunier then moved to Club Brugge in 2011, where he was signed for around 200,000 euros.

Top facts about Thomas Meunier:

On July 28, Meunier made his international debut against third-placed FK Qaraba Adam in the third qualifying round of the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League. He came on five minutes before the end with the score at 4:1, which didn't change anything.

The Belgians could then afford a 0-1 defeat in the second leg to advance to the play-offs. After a 3-3 tie against Georgian champions FC Sestaponi in the first leg, they won the second leg 2-0.

They came out of the group stage as group winners, ahead of Sporting Braga, and Meunier scored the opening goal in a 2-2 draw with

.

In the last sixteen, however, Bruges were defeated by Hannover 96, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga. In total, he appeared in 12 Europa League games for the club.

Thomas Meunier early life

Meunier, who was born in Sainte-Ode, Belgium, started his career as a member of different junior teams, including RUS Sainte-Ode, RUS Givry, and Standard Liège. Regarding 

Thomas Meunier’s childhood

, it should be mentioned that he played with Liège for two seasons before being dismissed due to injury.

Meunier said that his release had an impact on him, and he pondered retiring from football until being encouraged to continue by his mother. Meunier pleased the club's management during a trial at Virton and was subsequently signed by the team. There is no information regarding 

Thomas Meunier’s parents

.

Thomas Meunier personal life

An important fact about Thomas Meunier is that he enjoys art in addition to football. He started a catering company in Bastogne and has considered becoming a baker when his football career is ended.

Meunier is multilingual, speaking fluent French, Flemish, English, and German.

After being convicted of speeding in November 2012, Meunier was fined €120 and given a 13-day driving restriction. Meunier resumed taking driving lessons again after his sentence. Deborah Panzokou, whom Meunier has known since high school, is in a relationship with her.

The couple revealed they were expecting their first child in May 2015. Deborah gave birth to Landrys, a boy (born in December 2015). The couple revealed they were expecting their second child in October 2017, and the baby was delivered in April 2018.

Thomas Meunier professional career

An important fact about Thomas Meunier is that he met and befriended Christian Benteke, one of his future international teammates.

, who was two years his senior and later played for the national team and Dortmund, also made the transition to professional football in Liège.

The young Meunier, on the other hand, had to deal with knee and back pain as a result of a 20-centimeter growth spurt, as well as the separation of his parents, and could not establish himself at Standard in two years.

He returned to Luxembourg and joined the youth of Royal Excelsior Virton, the region's largest club. Meunier's mother, with whom he lived after the divorce, used her son's dedication to sports as an opportunity to request an audition with the club, where he eventually scored ten goals.

He graduated from there in 2009, at the age of 17, and played his first games in the second-rate Division 1B. The Belgian also played futsal indoors to hone his technique, but he chose to continue playing professional football due to financial constraints.

Thomas Meunier club career

An important

fact about Thomas Meunier

is that he began playing professionally for Virton's first squad in the first half of 2009, making his debut against K.F.C. V.W. Hamme in a 1–1 tie on January 31, 2009.

Virton

As

were relegated from the Second Division, he made five appearances. The 2010–11 season proved to be his breakthrough after becoming a first-team regular in 2009–10, making 16 appearances and scoring five goals in all competitions.

On August 22, 2010, he scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season in a 3–0 victory against C.S. Visé. He then scored twice in a 4–0 victory against RFC Liège on October 2, 2010, and another brace seven days later in a 2–1 win over Sporting Hasselt on October 9.

Between 30 January and 6 February 2011, he scored two goals in two matches against R. Charleroi Couillet Fleurus and KSKL Ternat. During the 2010–11 season, Meunier rapidly established himself with the team, making 29 appearances and scoring 11 goals across all competitions.

From 2009 to 2011, Meunier made 52 appearances for Virton's first squad, scoring 15 goals in all competitions.

Club Brugge

Meunier was signed by

for a price of 200,000 euros in January 2011, with the deal taking place during the 2011 summer transfer window.

Club Brugge had just lost out on the moves of Dalibor Veselinovi and Jelle Van Damme a few days before and wanted to make sure Meunier was not the third near miss. Club Brugge completed the transaction before any of the other Belgian teams interested (Anderlecht, Standard Liège, Sint-Truiden, and Zulte Waregem). Meunier was assigned the number 19 jersey ahead of the upcoming season.

Club Brugge's first match of the 2011–12 season came against Westerlo on July 31, 2011, and Meunier was permitted to play the last 20 minutes. Meunier put forth a solid performance, scoring a goal in the process.

He didn't score again until September 21, 2011, in a 3–2 victory against Dessel Sport. Between October 16 and November 3, 2011, he made five appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals against Gent, Genk, and Birmingham City.

An important fact about Thomas Meunier is that he has established himself in the first team for Club Brugge, playing in the midfield position, since his debut.

As a consequence, he agreed to a contract extension with the club that would keep him with the club until 2016.

Despite injuries, Meunier completed his debut season with Club Brugge with 49 games and five goals in all competitions. Meunier's goal against Genk won him third spot for Goal of the Season at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season.

Meunier had a strong start to the 2012–13 season, scoring in his first four league matches against Waasland-Beveren, Charleroi, KV Mechelen, and Beerschot.

Following the game, Meunier discussed the importance of scoring on a regular basis, stating "I scored three goals last season. My goal was to become better. But it's a close call." He began his career on the right side of the field.

Meunier, on the other hand, was injured twice and was forced to sit out until November. He didn't play again until November 17, 2012, in a 6–2 triumph against Waasland-Beveren, when he came on as a second–half replacement.

Following his recovery, Meunier moved to the right–back position, which he felt was no difficulty. He was out until March after suffering another injury in late January.

Following his recovery from injury, Meunier was reassigned to the first team, where he spent the remainder of the season as a right–back. By the completion of the 2012–13 season, Meunier had made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times.

Meunier was out until September of the 2013–14 season after undergoing surgery for a groin ailment. Following his comeback from injury, Meunier promptly reclaimed his right–back position and helped the squad retain a clean sheet four times between September 14 and October 5, 2013.

His success drew the interest of Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, but he remained with the club during the January transfer window.

He didn't score his first goal for the club until February 18, 2014, in a 5–2 triumph against OH Leuven. He subsequently scored twice in a 2–0 victory against Cercle Brugge on March 16, 2014.

A notable

fact about Thomas Meunier

is that he scored an own goal in a 1–0 defeat against

on 4 May 2014, causing the team to lose and jeopardizing their championship prospects.

Meunier made 33 appearances and scored three goals in all competitions despite being sidelined later in the 2013–14 season. Two months later, he got a Blue Shoe.

Meunier got off to a good start in the 2014–15 season, setting up one of the goals in a 2–0 victory against Waasland-Beveren. Meunier started every match in the right back position from the start of the season until he was injured in early December.

In a 4–2 victory against Waasland-Beveren on November 22, 2014, Meunier scored his first goal of the season. He scored again after returning from injury on December 14, 2014, in a 3–1 victory against Standard Liège.

Meunier re-signed with the club in January 2015, extending his deal until 2019. Shortly after, on January 20, 2015, he scored a hat–trick of assists in a 3–2 victory against KV Mechelen, advancing them to the Beker van Belgi semi–finals. Meunier was injured twice at the conclusion of the season.

Despite this, he played every minute of the 2015 Belgian Cup Final against RSC Anderlecht, which concluded in a 2–1 victory for Team Brugge, allowing the club to win the Belgian Cup for the first time since 2007.

A notable fact about Thomas Meunier is that he made 46 appearances and scored two goals in all competitions before the conclusion of the 2014–15 season. Meunier was named Footballer of the Year for his efforts.

Meunier was connected with a transfer away from Club Brugge before of the 2015–16 season, and was anticipated to depart the club in the summer. However, while on international service, he sustained a knee injury and was sidelined for two months.

He didn't return to the first squad until August 30, 2015, when he came in as a late replacement in a 7–1 triumph over Standard Liège. On September 23, 2015, he scored his first goal of the season, as well as setting up another, in a 4–0 victory against Patro Eisden.

Meunier scored again in a UEFA Europa League encounter against Midtjylland a week later, on October 1, 2015, in a 3–1 defeat. Then, on November 5, 2015, he scored again in the UEFA Europa League, this time in a 1–0 victory against Legia Warsaw.

On November 30, 2015, he captained Club Brugge for the first time, leading the team to a 4–1 victory against KV Mechelen. He then scored twice in a 3–2 defeat to Genk after setting up two goals in a 6–0 triumph against Westerlo.

Towards the conclusion of the season, he scored two more goals against Genk and Gent, helping the team win the title. Despite missing two games later in the 2015–16 season, Meunier went on to feature in 42 games and score six goals.

Meunier was a transfer target for numerous teams during the 2016 summer transfer window, with

spearheading the charge to capture him. However, in early June, he said unequivocally that he will remain at the club. Despite his declaration that he wanted to remain at Club Brugge, he was still a transfer target.

Meunier joined Club Brugge in 2011 as a striker or right winger before being converted to a right back by head coaches Juan Carlos Garrido, Georges Leekens, and Michel Preudhomme due to a lack of players in that position due to injuries to teammates Davy De Fauw and Tom Hgli, as well as the departure of Carl Hoefkens.

Paris Saint-Germain

On July 3, 2016, Paris Saint-Germain announced that Meunier had signed a four-year contract with the club that would keep him at the club until June 30, 2020.

According to reports, the transfer cost was 7 million euros. Meunier acknowledged to having reservations about joining PSG before to the transfer, citing a potential lack of playing time.

A notable

fact about Thomas Meunier

is that he scored twice in PSG's 3–1 triumph against Real Madrid in an International Champions Cup friendly match in Ohio in 2016.

Meunier made his first competitive debut for PSG in the 2016 Trophée des Champions, coming in as a replacement for

in the 76th minute.

He made his league debut for PSG on August 28, 2016, after being an unused replacement in the club's first two league matches of the 2016–17 season. He played 28 minutes in a 3–1 defeat to AS Monaco.

Throughout the season, Meunier was pitted against Serge Aurier, and owing to Aurier's strong play, Meunier was often relegated to the bench.

Meunier returned to the first squad after sustaining a knee injury in late September, playing in the right back position and scoring a goal in a 2–0 league home victory against Bordeaux on October 1, 2016.

In PSG's 2–1 away triumph against Basel in a 2016–17 UEFA Champions League Group A encounter on November 1, 2016, Meunier assisted Blaise Matuidi's first goal and scored the winning goal with a magnificent 90th-minute side-footed curling volley; it was Meunier's first competitive goal for PSG. He was selected to the UEFA Team of the Week as a consequence of his outstanding performance.

Meunier scored his first league goal for the club in a 5–0 victory against Lorient on December 21, 2016. However, he was sidelined twice in the following two months due to injury.

Despite this, Meunier was given greater playing time as a right–back in January 2017 since Aurier was required to participate for his country in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

The following month, in a 4–0 triumph against Barcelona in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg, he played the whole 90 minutes and set up a goal for

.

"We hit it out of the park. Everyone was looking forward to it, and I haven't seen anything like that this season” Immediately after the match, he stated.

PSG was ousted from the tournament 6–5 on aggregate when Meunier conceded a penalty and PSG lost 6–1 against Barcelona in the second leg. "This is just unacceptable. We needed to take a more measured approach to the game. PSG is lacking in this area. It's tough to come up with an answer "Meunier explained.

Despite appearing in both the Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France campaigns, Meunier did not appear in either of the finals; he was on the substitute bench for the former and was unable to participate in the latter due to an injury.

A notable

fact about Thomas Meunier

is that he made 36 appearances and scored twice in all competitions during the 2016–17 season. Meunier was the subject of a transfer request during the summer transfer window of 2017, when Premier League side Chelsea attempted to sign him on the transfer window deadline day but were turned down by PSG.

Meunier made his competitive debut in the 2017–18 season, starting as a right-back in a 2–1 victory against

in the 2017 Trophée des Champions. Due to the arrival of Dani Alves, Aurier had to contend for the right–back position after his transfer to Tottenham Hostpur.

Meunier made his first league debut of the season, replacing Dani Alves and subsequently setting up a goal for Edinson Cavani in a 3–0 home triumph against Saint-Étienne on August 25, 2017, after being an unused substitute in PSG's previous two league matches (against Guingamp and Toulouse).

He did not score his first goal for the club until September 30, 2017, in a 6–2 league home victory against Bordeaux.

Meunier scored both of PSG's goals in a 2–1 victory against Dijon in another league encounter on October 14, 2017. Despite suffering an injury while playing for the national team, he participated twice in the league between late October and mid-December.

In a 4–2 victory against RC Strasbourg on December 13, 2017, Meunier started in the right back position and contributed two goals.

A month later, on January 30, 2018, Meunier scored again in the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals, this time in a 3–2 victory against Stade Rennais. On March 10, 2018, he scored his fourth goal of the season in a 5–0 triumph against FC Metz.

Towards the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, he reclaimed his right-back spot in a number of games while Alves was injured or suspended from the first team.

On May 8, 2018, he came off the bench to help PSG win the Coupe de France with a 2–0 victory against Les Herbiers VF.

Meunier also won his first league championship with PSG on April 15, 2018, after defeating Monaco. He went on to make 34 appearances and score 5 goals in all competitions before the conclusion of the 2017–18 season.

A notable fact about Thomas Meunier is that he scored a goal in a 2–3 defeat to Liverpool in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group stage on September 18, 2018.

He came on as a substitute in a 1–3 defeat to

on March 6, 2019, in which Paris Saint-Germain were knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 on away goals.

On September 18, 2019, he scored a goal in a 3–0 victory against Real Madrid in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage.

He played his last match for Paris Saint-Germain on March 4, 2020, in a 5–1 triumph against Lyon in the 2019–20 Coupe de France semi-final.

Dortmund

On June 25, 2020, it was reported that Meunier will join Borussia Dortmund on a four-year free agency agreement from PSG.

Thomas Meunier international career

A notable fact about Thomas Meunier is that he was called up for the first time in February 2011 for the Belgium U21 squad after participating for the Belgium U15 team, however he did not participate.

Meunier was called up for the second time in August 2011, and made his Belgium U21 debut in a 3–2 friendly defeat to Turkey U21 on August 9, 2011.

On September 6, 2011, he scored his first U21 goal in a 4–1 home triumph against Azerbaijan U21 in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualifying match.

For the Belgium U21 squad, he made seven appearances (five of them were in 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualifying matches) and scored one.

Meunier made his debut for the Belgian national team in a home friendly match against Colombia on November 14, 2013, after being called up to the senior side for the first time. This was in preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

He also played as a substitute in two more friendlies, losing 2–3 to Japan and winning 3–1 to Iceland, but was not included to coach Marc Wilmots' final 23-man roster for the event.

Meunier was called up in November 2014 after missing the World Cup and made his first appearance in over a year in a 3–1 triumph against Iceland on November 12, 2014.

Following his call-up to the Euro 2016 team, Meunier played the whole 90 minutes at right back in the UEFA Euro 2016 group stage, setting up a goal for Axel Witsel in a 3–0 triumph against Republic of Ireland.

Four days later, he helped his side preserve another clean sheet in 90 minutes at right back in another triumph against Sweden. He also started in Belgium's 4–0 triumph against Hungary in the round of 16 match. Meunier made five appearances for France in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.

Meunier's first senior international goal came in the eighth minute of Belgium's 8–1 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification triumph against Estonia at the King Baudouin Stadium on November 13, 2016.

He scored the first goal in Belgium's 4–3 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 7, 2017, to finish the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals and seven assists from eight games. Meunier has been included to Belgium's final 23-man FIFA World Cup roster.

He was Belgium's first-choice right midfielder and made his World Cup debut in a 3–0 triumph against Panama in the 2018 FIFA World Cup's first group game.

On June 23, 2018, Meunier set up Romelu Lukaku's second goal of the game in a 5–2 triumph against Tunisia to qualify for the Round of 16.

In the round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he also set up Nacer Chadli to score in injury time in a 3–2 win against Japan. He earned another booking following a 2–1 victory against Brazil on July 6, 2018, which forced him to miss the semi–finals.

Meunier returned from suspension on 14 July 2018, scoring the first goal in Belgium's 2–0 win against England in their third-place play-off, which was his country's best-ever World Cup result.

Meunier came in as a substitute for the injured Timothy Castagne after only 27 minutes on June 12, 2021, and scored Belgium's second goal in the 34th minute of their 3–0 triumph over Russia in their first Euro 2020 group stage match.

Meunier became the first player in UEFA European Championship history to score in the first half after coming in as a replacement.

Some more facts about Thomas Meunier:

Meunier made his Jupiler Pro League debut on July 31, 2011 (Day 1) in a home game against KVC Westerlo (5-0), replacing Nabil Dirar in the 71st minute and scoring the 4th:0 ten minutes later.

Overall, the defender made 35 appearances in his first season, finishing second to Brugge and qualifying for the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League with the team. But Bruges fell short against Danish runners-up FC Copenhagen, losing 2:3 at home after a goalless draw in Denmark.

You could, but only in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League playoffs, where they defeated Hungarian representatives Debreceni VSC 3-0, 4-1 to advance to the group stage. FC Brugge finished last in this competition, trailing Girondins Bordeaux,

, and Martimo Funchal.

Meunier only appeared in two group games, in addition to the two playoff games. The Belgian made his debut at right-back in the previous game against Funchal, a position he would play the majority of the time from then on. Georges Leekens, the Belgian national coach at the time, was responsible for this, as he tested his player in this position and attested to a promising future.

It was only good enough for third place in the league this time, but it was enough to get them into the third qualifying round of the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League. The team met the Polish third party lsk Wrocaw in this, and was eliminated after a 0-1 away defeat by a 3-3 tie in the second leg. Meunier did not appear in either game.

Brugge finished third again the following season, allowing them to compete in the third qualifying round of the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League.

The Belgian played in the first game, which was won 3-0 by Brndby IF. He was only on the bench when the score was 2-0 in the second leg.

Meunier then appeared in both victories in the playoffs against Grasshopper Club Zürich, as well as four group stage games in which Bruges finished as group winners without losing.

The round of 16 against Aalborg BK was won with two victories, as were the two victories in the round of 16 against Beşiktaş Istanbul. He did not play in the quarter-finals, in which Brugge were defeated by Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on a single away goal.

FC Brugge finished first after the regular league round in the 2014/15 championship season, but lost to KAA Gent in the subsequent championship round. Bruges, on the other hand, could win the cup final against RSC Anderlecht thanks to Meunier.

As runners-up, they advanced to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League 2015/16. After a 1-2 away defeat, the club won 3-0 at home against Greek runners-up Panathinaikos Athens. Bruges, on the other hand, lost 3-1 and 4-0 to Manchester United in the play-offs.

Meunier did not play in any of the four games and was only on the bench at the 0:4 tie. Brugge were then permitted to compete in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League group stage, but only managed to defeat KP Legia Warsaw 1-0celebrate a win with the defender scoring the goal.

In another game, he managed to draw 3-1 with FC Midtjylland, who finished ahead of Bruges and behind

.

Things went better in the league; once again, FC Brugge was first after the league round and went on to win the title. The cup final, on the other hand, was won by Liège 2-1. Meunier appeared in 198 competitive games for the club in five years, scoring 20 goals and assisting on another 22.

The Belgian had expressed an interest in moving abroad in 2015 and would have received offers from a number of Bundesliga clubs, including Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg. However, a knee injury that sidelined him for two months put an end to his chances of a transfer at the time.

An important fact about Thomas Meunier is that he joined Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1 for the 2016/17 season. The reigning national champions offered him a four-year contract until June 30, 2020, with an opt-out clause worth more than 6 million euros.

In his first season, the Belgian established himself as a rival to the previous regular right-back Serge Aurier. 36 league games, as well as national and European cups, and won the French Cup, League Cup, and national Supercup with the team.

PSG were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2017/18, but won the championship, the state cup, and the Supercup with Meunier. Following Aurier's departure, the Belgian faced off against

, with neither player permanently favored by head coach Unai Emery.

Meunier was a full-back under Emery's successor Thomas Tuchel in the 2018/19 season, but he missed a few games due to injury. Furthermore, Meunier's defensive game improved under the German coach, as he tried to suppress his usual offensive impulses more frequently.

In addition to winning the third Supercup, they also won the national championship for the third time, with 105 goals and a 16-point lead over OSC Lille. Meunier won his third consecutive championship with the club a year later, despite missing several games due to injury.

The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He reached the Champions League quarter-finals with Paris Saint-Germain. Because the games did not take place until August 2020, the Belgian was no longer a member of the eventual competition finalist's squad.

Meunier joined Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer for the 2020/21 season, signing a contract until June 2024 and meeting his national team teammates Thorgan Hazard and Axel Witsel.

The player justified the move as a "heart decision" and praised the club's "authenticity and down-to-earthness," describing it as a "further development" of the former Bruges club.

When Coach Lucien Favre only had a three-man formation, the Belgian played on the right wing like his predecessor Achraf Hakimi as part of a back four, more defensively and offensively. Meunier was also sidelined for five games due to a torn muscle fiber.

The winger was named to Sport.de's "first round flop eleven" alongside Ozan Kabak (FC Schalke 04) and Benjamin Pavard (FC Bayern Munich). A lack of stability on the defensive was countered by a “wooden” forward movement for the “not infrequently the weakest Dortmund player on the pitch”.

Thomas Meunier social media

Regarding

Thomas Meunier social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 1 million followers. On the page, we can see various pictures of him along with his fans and family.

He also has a Twitter account (

) with more than 378k followers. He often posts new stuff on his Twitter page.

Thomas Meunier body measurements

Speaking about

Thomas Meunier body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the player is 191cm and 90kg.

Thomas Meunier net worth and salary

Thomas Meunier's net worth

is estimated to be around $17 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.

READ MORE: