Kat Kerkhofs, wife of Dries Mertens, gave a long interview to the microphones of HLN.be in which she focused on her life and that of the blue striker: “Dries has determined my life. We’ve known each other since we were 11, he was a classmate of my neighbor, who never stopped talking to me about him. One day he threw a birthday party, but he called me and I didn’t answer. A few years later we met again, we went to eat a kebab and I immediately fell in love with it. He was already a footballer, I told him that if he wanted to see me again we had to get engaged. And so it’s been 17 years. Dries has always been in my life. Sometimes I wondered if it was okay to stay with the same person from childhood until now. Sometimes there are ups and downs, but it’s the sweetest thing there is. “
ARRIVAL IN NAPLES
“When Dries received Napoli’s offer I was 24 years old. We decided to accept, but we didn’t know what we were getting into. Today, after nine years, I say that Napoli and Italy formed us. At the time Dries was considering going to play in Russia for money and I thought that our life would be different, that we would have to move every year, instead we made the conscious choice of Italy. We also rejected some offers to stay here “.
THE LOVE OF NAPLES AND FOR NAPLES
“I don’t know if we will return to Belgium permanently one day, we haven’t decided yet. I too have my life in Naples. Dries is a god there, I also have commitments and friends and I don’t want to be just Mertens’ wife. People he thinks I owe my career to him, like I don’t have talent, but actually I think it would have been even easier for me to do TV without Dries, having more time for my projects. Often they think I’m just Dries’ wife, because the world of television is severe. Women are treated differently and this makes me sad. “
IN THE PRIVATE
“Sometimes I can’t manage weakness well and this is also due to Dries’ sporting mentality. I try not to burden him, not to worry him. When I sometimes grumble, Dries tells me to look around me, to see where I live and what I have. . And I know she’s right, I have a very nice life. Our dog Juliette always gives me a smile. Me and Dries raised her like she was our daughter, she’s really part of our family. I know it’s wrong, but sometimes he even sleeps in our bed. He made us mum and dad for the first time. “
SWEET WAITING
“When I found out I was pregnant I hoped it was female because I wanted Dries to relive my father’s experience, to feel the love of a little girl for him. I lost my father at 16 and I miss him a lot. Then he revealed himself. being a boy, it took me a while to get used to but the idea of having a great new male love in my life comforts me. When I give birth I will go back to Italy (Kat is in Belgium for ‘Dancing with the Stars’, ed) because I want Dries to be with me. On this issue the world of football is not very human, it may be that I will give birth on the day of a match and they will not allow him to come. I do not want to force him to do anything wrong, I just want him to do the Right thing”.
THE MERTENS CONTRACT
“If I had to choose I would stay in Naples. He and I have found a paradise here, a paradise hidden in a rough shell. When we have some free time we stay at home, ordering at McDonald’s and relaxing. We watch a series together. , it’s our moment. We are privileged, we have a good life, but I can’t wait for the end of his career to come. We can’t go out in Naples, everyone thinks they can get a piece of him and it’s not fun. I don’t know what Dries’s life will be like when he stops. If you’re used to playing in front of 50,000 people, how will you feel when you need these adrenaline rushes? He replies that he’ll just enjoy it. “
