Dennis Praet (born 14 May 1994) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Mechelen.

Early life Praet was born in Leuven, Flemish Brabant.

Club career Youth at Genk Praet joined the Genk youth academy in 2003 at the age of eight. He went on to spend most of his youth career at Genk, where he quickly made an impression and played for the club's youth teams until 2010. He was part of a strong generation at the club and scouts considered him one of the top talents. He became part of Belgium's youth teams and attracted the interest of clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona, Ajax and Lille.

Anderlecht

In May 2010 Praet transferred from Genk to Anderlecht turning down more lucrative offers. At Anderlecht he started out with the under-19 team, continuing to impress. In 2011, he received the prize for best player during the AEGON Future Cup in Amsterdam, a youth tournament in which teams like Ajax and Bayern Munich also competed.

Praet debuted in Anderlecht's first team on 21 September 2011 starting in the Belgian Cup against Lommel United and provided two assists in a 4–0 win. In the next round of the cup, he scored his first official goal for Anderlecht, against Rupel Boom. Not long after, on 30 October, he also made his debut in the Belgian Pro League as a substitute for Fernando Canesin while playing against Lierse. In March 2012, Praet signed a new contract until 2015.

During the 2012–13 season, Praet played regularly for Anderlecht as the club won their second straight league title. A two-year contract extension was agreed in early 2014 to take him through to the summer of 2017. He scored the third goal in Anderlecht's 3–1 Jupiler Pro League play-off win over Lokeren on 25 May 2014 to seal Anderlecht's 33rd league title, and their third in a row.

Praet made his 100th competitive appearance for the club in the league match at Club Brugge on 31 August 2014. On 16 September, he scored away to Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League group stage to put Anderlecht in front, but the Turkish club equalised in added time. His first league goal of the 2014–15 season came in the 2–2 draw at home to Club Brugge when he scored Anderlecht's opening goal to equalise midway through the first-half. Like his strike against Galatasaray in the Champions League, it went in off the post. He scored in four consecutive games for Anderlecht between 14 and 26 December 2014, with the league wins over Oostende, Waasland Beveren and Westerlo and the Belgian Cup win against Zulte Waregem.

This rich of form at the end of the year was rewarded at a ceremony on 14 January 2015 where Praet won the 2014 Belgian Golden Shoe, the annual award given to the best player in the Jupiler Pro League for the previous calendar year. He polled five points (250) ahead of Víctor Vázquez of Club Brugge (245).

Sampdoria On 24 August 2016, Praet's move to Sampdoria was finalised. Sampdoria paid a transfer fee of €10 million. After being heavily linked with a move to reigning Serie A champions Juventus during the 2018 summer transfer window, in November 2018, Praet signed a contract extension with Sampdoria, extending his stay at the club until 2021.

Praet was an ever present in the Sampdoria side during his three-year spell, appearing in 98 Serie A games and scoring four goals, as the club finished in the top half of the table all three seasons.

Leicester City On 8 August 2019, Praet signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of €20 million. On 18 August 2019, he made his league debut as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. On 11 January 2020, Praet scored his first goal for Leicester City in 1–2 defeat against Southampton. On 20 September 2020, he scored his second goal in a 4–2 win over Burnley.

Torino (loan) On 31 August 2021, Praet joined Torino on a season-long loan.

Return to Leicester Praet returned to Leicester for the 2022–23 season, scoring his only goal of the Premier League campaign in a 4–2 away win over Aston Villa on 4 February 2023. However, the club were relegation after ending up in the 18th position on the league table.

In the 2023–24 season, he achieved the EFL Championship with the club, securing promotion back to the Premier League. On 7 June 2024, he was among the players announced to depart the club upon the conclusion of the season.

Antwerp On 6 September 2024, Praet signed a contract with Antwerp for two seasons with an option for a third.

Mechelen On 16 July 2026, Praet signed a two-year contract with Mechelen.

International career Praet has represented Belgium at every age group under-15 and older making an appearance in the U21 team a mere three years after first playing for the U15 team.

On 6 November 2014, Praet received his first call up to the senior Belgian squad for the friendly at home to Iceland on 12 November, and the Euro 2016 Qualifier against Wales on 16 November. He made his senior international début coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for Christian Benteke after all four goals had been scored in the 3–1 friendly win over Iceland in Brussels.

Praet earned his second cap for Belgium almost four years on from his debut featuring in a 1–1 draw against rivals Netherlands in October 2018. On 17 May 2021, he was named in the Belgian squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAnderlecht2011–12Belgian Pro League7021———912012–13Belgian Pro League27262—61114062013–14Belgian Pro League37520—60104652014–15Belgian Pro League30721—61103992015–16Belgian Pro League37600—90—4662016–17Belgian Pro League1000—10—20Total13920124—2823118227Sampdoria2016–17Serie A32120———3412017–18Serie A32130———3512018–19Serie A34230———372Total98480———1064Leicester City2019–20Premier League2714050——3612020–21Premier League151201061—2422022–23Premier League2212030——2712023–24Championship1702110——201Total81310110061—1075Torino (loan)2021–22Serie A23210———242Career total339293151003433141738

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBelgium201410201500201600201700201810201940202030202152202210Total152

Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Praet goal

+ List of international goals scored by Dennis PraetNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition130 March 2021Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium105–08–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification28 September 2021Central Stadium, Kazan, Russia141–01–0

Honours Anderlecht Belgian Pro League: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 Belgian Super Cup: 2012, 2013, 2014

Leicester City FA Cup: 2020–21 EFL Championship: 2023–24

Individual Best player of AEGON Future Cup: 2011 Belgian Golden Shoe: 2014

References

External links

Profile at the Leicester City F.C. website (archived)