Germany: Marburg Mercenaries sign top Belgian WR Ruben de Ruyter

AFI | American Football | 03/03/2020

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

The Marburg Mercenaries, German Football League quarterfinalists in 2019, have added to their receiving corps with the signing of Belgian national team wideout Ruben De Ruyter.

The 6’1″, 207 lb, 25-year-old de Ruyter is entering his eighth season of football in Europe. He spent the 2019 season with the Rostock Griffins in the GFL2, catching 39 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns. In 2018, playing for the Ingolstadt Dukes in the GFL, he had 61 receptions for 727 yards and four touchdowns while also returning a fumble for a touchdown as a defensive back and scoring a rushing touchdown. He helped the Hämeenlinna Huskies in Finland’s Maple League reach the semifinals in 2017, in their first year in the league. He had 34 catches for 568 yards and five touchdowns for the Huskies. In 2016, he won a Swedish title with the Carlstad Crusaders as the first Belgian to ever play for the eight-time Swedish champions. He has been a mainstay on Team Belgium, the Belgian Barbarians since 2014 and one of the key receivers.

He played his first season of football in 2014 with the Ghent Gators helping them with their first Belgian championship. He was quickly selected for the national team and in 2015 was named one of the five team captains while appearing in five international games. He moved to Germany in 2015 as a free safety and wide receiver with the Leipzig Lions of the German third division.

Mercenaries head coach Joe Sturdivant, also the defensive coordinator for Team Belgium, is well aware of De Ruyter’s abilities:

“Ruben is an excellent player with very good hands who can play both ways. He is an important reinforcement for us. With him in the lineup, we are even more versatile for this GFL season.”