Mees Hilgers

Mees Hilgers

Hilgers playing for Twente in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Mees Victor Joseph Hilgers [1]
Date of birth	(2001-05-13) 13 May 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Amersfoort, Netherlands
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [2]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Twente
Number	2
Youth career
2005–2009	Nieuwland
2009–2011	Sparta Nijkerk
2011–2020	Twente
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020–	Twente	97	(3)
International career‡
2022	Netherlands U21	1	(0)
2024–	Indonesia	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024

Mees Victor Joseph Hilgers (born 13 May 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eredivisie side Twente. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Indonesia national team.

Club career

Early career

Hilgers started playing football at ASC Nieuwland in his hometown of Amersfoort. After moving to Nijkerk, he played in the youth team of Sparta Nijkerk. At the age of ten, he moved to the academy of FC Twente.

Twente

On 6 December 2018, Hilgers signed his first professional contract with FC Twente. ^[3] He made his professional debut with Twente in a 2–1 Eredivisie win over AFC Ajax on 5 December 2020. ^[4]

2022–23 season

In the 2022–23 season, Hilgers was out of action for some time from March due to a groin injury. After returning he lost his starting place to Julio Pleguezuelo. He seemed to be heading for a departure from FC Twente, but he signed a new contract in July 2023 until mid-2026. ^{[5] [6]}

2024–25 season

On 13 August 2024, Hilgers scored a goal against Red Bull Salzburg in the second leg of UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round in a 3–3 draw, but Twente lost 4–5 on aggregate. ^[7]

On 25 September 2024, Hilgers started and played the full 90 minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 1–1 draw in the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage. ^[8] He also played the following match, a 1–1 draw against Fenerbahçe at home, where he became the first Indonesian to play in the Europa League.

International career

Hilgers is a former youth international for Netherlands at under-21 level. ^[9]

In September 2024, Hilgers opted to represent Indonesia. ^[10] The following month, he was called up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches against Bahrain and China. ^[11] On 10 October 2024, Hilgers made his debut against Bahrain in a 2–2 draw.

Personal life

Born in the Netherlands, Hilgers is of Indonesian descent from a mother originating from North Sulawesi. ^{[12] [13]}

On 30 September 2024, Hilgers officially obtained Indonesian citizenship after being sworned as citizens of Indonesia during a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy alongside Eliano Reijnders. ^[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 28 November 2024 ^[15]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Twente	2020–21	Eredivisie	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2021–22		24	1	2	0	0	0	—		26	1
	2022–23		30	1	1	0	4 [a]	0	—		35	1
	2023–24		28	0	0	0	5 [a]	0	—		33	0
	2024–25		12	1	0	0	6 [b]	1	—		18	2
Career total			97	3	3	0	15	1	0	0	115	4

1. Appearances in UEFA Conference League
2. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, four appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 15 October 2024 ^[16]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Indonesia	2024	2	0
Total		2	0

Honours

Individual

• Eredivisie Team of the Month: January 2022 ^[17]

References

1. "10 Fakta Keluarga Mees Hilgers, Mamanya Asli Manado" [10 facts about the Mees Hilgers family, his mother is originally from Manado.]. POPMAMA (in Indonesian). 23 September 2024.
2. "Mees Hilgers: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
3. "FC Twente". FC Twente.
4. "Ajax vs. Twente - 5 December 2020 - Soccerway". ca.soccerway.com.
5. Mees Hilgers tekent nieuw contract: "Nog niet klaar bij FC Twente", FCTwente.nl, 12 July 2023. Gearchiveerd op 22 July 2023.
6. Mees Hilgers en FC Twente bereiken akkoord: verdediger blijft in Enschede, Tubantia, 23 June 2023.
7. "Sejarah! Gol Sundulan Maut Mees Hilgers di Liga Champions: Layak Bela Timnas Indonesia". suara.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
8. "Twente Tahan Imbang MU di Liga Europa: Mees Hilgers Cetak Sejarah". cnnindonesia.com (in Indonesian). 26 September 2024.
9. "Profil Mees Hilgers, Calon Pemain Naturalisasi Timnas Indonesia" [Profile of Mees Hilgers, a naturalized footballer candidate for the Indonesian national team.]. Kumparan (in Indonesian).
10. "Hilgers en Eliano Reijnders kiezen voor Indonesië". vi.nl (in Dutch).
11. "Timnas Indonesia Panggil 27 Pemain untuk Lawan Bahrain dan China, Termasuk Mees Hilgers dan Eliano Reijnders". bola.net (in Indonesian). 2 October 2024.
12. "Profil Mees Hilgers, Calon Pemain Naturalisasi Timnas Indonesia Keturunan Manado". tempo.co (in Indonesian). 7 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
13. "Mees Hilgers mother named Linda Tombeng".
14. "Hilgers dan Reijnders Resmi Jadi WNI". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 September 2024.
15. Mees Hilgers at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
16. "Mees Hilgers". National Football Teams. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
17. "AZ breaks through the Ajax stronghold in the Eredivisie team of the month". eredivisie.eu. 28 January 2022.

External links

• Mees Hilgers at National-Football-Teams.com
• Mees Hilgers at Soccerway
• Mees Hilgers – UEFA competition record ( archive )