Mario Engels

Mario Engels (born 22 October 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger for Dutch club Heracles Almelo.

Club career
Engels began his career with SV Allner-Bödingen and later played for TuS Mondorf before moving to 1. FC Köln's academy in 2008. In 2012, he was promoted to the second team's squad, competing in Regionalliga West. On 5 May 2012, he made his senior debut against SV Elversberg, replacing Lucas Musculus in the 74th minute of a 2–1 away loss. One year later, on 13 May 2013, during a resounding 9–0 victory against MSV Duisburg II, he scored his first goal.

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Engels joined 2. Bundesliga club FSV Frankfurt and made his debut against Karlsruher SC on 8 August 2014. He scored his first goal for the club on 30 November 2014, helping secure a 2–0 win over 1860 Munich. After the 2015–16 season, as the club was relegated to the 3. Liga, Engels left the team.

In August 2016, Engels joined Polish Ekstraklasa club Śląsk Wrocław. In July 2017, he moved to Dutch Eredivisie club Roda JC, suffering relegation with the club at the end of the season. In the second division, Engels emerged as his team's top goalscorer, netting 24 goals and securing the second spot on the league's top goalscorers' list, but the team could not secure promotion in the end.

His impressive performance caught the attention of 2. Bundesliga club SV Sandhausen, who secured his services ahead of the 2019–20 season, providing him with a two-year contract.

On 4 October 2020, Engels returned to the Netherlands, signing a two-year contract with Sparta Rotterdam.

On 7 December 2022, it was officially announced that Engels would join Japanese J2 League side Tokyo Verdy for the 2023 season.

On 19 July 2023, Engels returned to the Netherlands for a second time and signed a two-year deal with recently promoted Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo.