World Cup 2018: Dries Mertens wants Belgium front three to stay in the goals… so he can give his friends a TV
Mertens has revealed his motivation behind wanting his side to get on the scoresheet more
DRIES MERTENS wants Belgium’s front three to keep banging in the goals… so his pals get a free TV!
The Red Devils were the World Cup’s top scorers from the group stages with nine strikes, seven of those coming from forwards Mertens, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.
And Belgian electronics company Krefel have offered customers a full refund on a newly-bought television if Roberto Martinez’s men net 16 times in Russia.
That mark has only been reached three times this century – Brazil in 2002 and Germany in 2010 and 2014.
But ahead of Monday’s last-16 clash with Japan, Napoli star Mertens, 31, said: “With the qualities of Romelu and Eden, we can create a great deal of danger.
“We are doing really well. We like to score a lot of goals.
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“Do you know the shop Krefel? If you score more than 15 times, they give a refund to everybody who bought a television.
“And my friends bought a television, so I am thinking about that when I am on the pitch.
“I want to score a lot of goals to give a free television to my friends!”
Belgium are huge favourites to beat Japan in Rostov-on-Don and set up a quarter-final with Brazil or Mexico.
But Mertens added: “Yes, we are favourites but watch our last-16 game against the USA in 2014.
“They had a chance in the last minute which could have eliminated us.
“And I am not going to talk about the elimination to Wales at Euro 2016.
“But the atmosphere in the team is fantastic and there is the belief that we can win all our matches.”