Mees Bakker

Mees Bakker

Personal information
Date of birth	(2001-03-11) 11 March 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Heiloo, Netherlands
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) [1]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Den Bosch
Number	TBD
Youth career
0000–2011	HSV Heiloo
2011–2019	AZ
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2023	Jong AZ	13	(0)
2020–2023	AZ	0	(0)
2022–2023	→ De Graafschap (loan)	1	(0)
2023–2024	De Graafschap	17	(0)
2024–	Den Bosch	0	(0)
International career
2016	Netherlands U15	2	(0)
2016–2017	Netherlands U16	6	(0)
2017–2018	Netherlands U17	4	(0)
2018	Netherlands U18	3	(0)
2019	Netherlands U19	5	(0)
Medal record Representing   Netherlands UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner England 2018 U-17 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:22, 11 February 2024 (UTC)

Mees Bakker (born 11 March 2001) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eerste Divisie club Den Bosch.

Club career

AZ

Bakker started his youth career at hometown club HSV Heiloo before joining the academy of AZ. ^[2] He made his professional debut for reserve team Jong AZ on the first matchday of the 2018–19 Eerste Divisie. At home against Almere City, he was named in the starting lineup by coach Michel Vonk and played the full game. However, he conceded three goals within the first thirty minutes in an eventual 3–2 loss. ^{[3] [4]}

Prior to the 2020–21 season, Bakker was included in the first team as the new third-choice goalkeeper. Additionally, he continued to play for the reserves. ^[5]

De Graafschap

On 7 July 2022, Bakker joined De Graafschap on a season-long loan with an option to buy. ^{[6] [7]} He made his debut for the club on 19 May 2023 in a 3–0 victory against Den Bosch. ^[8]

De Graafschap made the transfer permanent on 1 June 2023, and Bakker signed a one-year contract, with an option for a second year. ^[9] He began the 2023–24 season as the starting goalkeeper, assuming the position after Hidde Jurjus departed for Groningen. ^[10] However, he ceded the starting spot to Thijs Jansen in December 2023 after a string of poor performances. ^[11]

Den Bosch

On 6 June 2024, Eerste Divisie club Den Bosch announced Bakker as the club's new signing, with him penning a three-year deal. Upon signing, Den Bosch's technical director Bernard Schuiteman expressed his delight with Bakker's transfer to the club: "Mees [Bakker] has proven to be an excellent goalkeeper during his time at De Graafschap. He has the (modern) profile we were looking for in a goalkeeper, and at 23 years old, he still has plenty of room to develop." ^[12]

International career

He made one group-stage appearance with the Netherlands national under-17 football team at the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and was the backup in the other games, as Netherlands won the tournament. ^[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 8 December 2023 ^[14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			KNVB Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong AZ	2018–19	Eerste Divisie	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	10	0	—		—		—		10	0
	2021–22	Eerste Divisie	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		13	0	—		—		—		13	0
AZ	2019–20	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2020–21	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2021–22	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2022–23	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
De Graafschap (loan)	2022–23	Eerste Divisie	1	0	2	0	—		0	0	3	0
De Graafschap	2023–24	Eerste Divisie	17	0	0	0	—		0	0	17	0
	Total		18	0	2	0	—		0	0	20	0
Den Bosch	2024–25	Eerste Divisie	0	0	0	0	—		—	0	0
Career total			31	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	33	0

Honours

Netherlands U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2018 ^[15]

References

1. "M. Bakker: Profiel". Voetbal International. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
2. "Doelman Mees Bakker uit Heiloo verhuurd aan De Graafschap". BeatFM (in Dutch). 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
3. "AZ II vs. Almere City 2–3: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
4. "Almere City heeft aan bliksemstart genoeg bij Jong AZ". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 20 August 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
5. "Mees Bakker nieuwe derde doelman bij AZ: "Vroeger altijd al fan geweest"". NH Nieuws (in Dutch). 19 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
6. "De Graafschap trekt doelman Mees Bakker aan". De Graafschap (in Dutch). 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
7. Brinkman, Theo (7 July 2022). "Keeper Mees Bakker wordt door AZ verhuurd aan De Graafschap". Noordhollands Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
8. "De Graafschap sluit seizoen op waardige manier af met 3-0 winst op FC Den Bosch". De Graafschap (in Dutch). 20 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
9. "De Graafschap legt doelman Mees Bakker vast" (in Dutch). De Graafschap. 1 June 2023.
10. Made, Richard van der (28 August 2023). "Keeper Mees Bakker wil 'laten zien wie De Graafschap is'". Omroep Gelderland (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
11. Willemsen, Raymond (16 December 2023). "Met Thijs Jansen staat 'Mr. clean sheet' in doel bij De Graafschap: 'Het was de laatste tijd iets minder bij Mees Bakker'". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
12. "Doelman Mees Bakker naar FC Den Bosch". FC Den Bosch (in Dutch). 6 June 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
13. "Netherlands U17 v Serbia U17 game report". UEFA. 11 May 2018.
14. Mees Bakker at Soccerway
15. Saffer, Paul (20 May 2018). "Netherlands win #U17EURO: at a glance". UEFA.com.

External links

• Mees Bakker at Soccerway