Arthur Vermeeren's Turbulent Journey Back to Antwerp
Arthur Vermeeren arrived at Atletico Madrid in 2024 carrying a heavy label for a 21-year-old. The “heir to Axel Witsel”, the next great Belgian midfielder, the man to refresh Diego Simeone’s engine room. The hype was loud. The impact was quiet.
In the second half of the 2023-24 season, his Atletico story barely left a footprint: five official appearances, just 159 minutes in La Liga. He never forced his way into Simeone’s starting XI and never found a rhythm. The big move that was supposed to launch him instead pushed him towards the exit.
The path that followed was just as abrupt. From Madrid to RB Leipzig, then on again to France, before the circle finally closed with a return to his boyhood club, Antwerp. For a player still only 21, it reads like the CV of someone a decade older.
Looking back, Vermeeren doesn’t hide from the reality that the move from Antwerp came at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. Atletico paid €22 million (£18.5m) to prise him away, a figure driven as much by Antwerp’s financial needs as by his potential.
Sportingly, he now accepts it was a misstep.
“I don't think I necessarily made bad decisions,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “Probably there were wrong decisions among them, but the circumstances, which few people are aware of, also played a part. Perhaps Atletico wasn't the right club, but at the time it seemed the best option, and I fully supported it.”
The numbers in Spain tell one story. Vermeeren insists the experience told another.
He landed in Madrid almost alone. New city, new culture, new language. No minutes. No release on the pitch.
“People don't see it that way, but my time at Atletico is when I learnt the most,” he explained. “I barely knew anyone, I didn't speak the language and, on top of that, I wasn't playing. That turned into disappointment and anger, complaining about everything. As if it were everyone else's fault.”
It was a brutal education. The wonderkid tag slipped, replaced by frustration and introspection. While his boots gathered dust, his character hardened.
Atletico, for their part, made sure the experiment did not become a financial burden. They engineered a clean exit via Leipzig: a €9m (£7.5m) loan fee with a €16m (£13.5m) obligation to buy. In total, €25m (£21m) back into their accounts. On the balance sheet at least, Madrid came out ahead.
Leipzig then chose a different solution for this season, sending Vermeeren back to where it all began. Back to Antwerp. Back to a dressing room and a league he understands.
He has already made two league appearances on loan, easing his way into a side chasing the Belgian title for the first time since 2023. The spotlight is cooler now, the expectations more grounded, but the target is clear.
For Vermeeren, the next step is no longer about proving a nickname right. It is about turning a turbulent early career into something stable, and helping Antwerp turn potential into another championship.
