Kevin Diks

Kevin Diks Bakarbessy (born 6 October 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Borussia Mönchengladbach. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Indonesia national team.

Club career Vitesse

Born in Apeldoorn, Diks joined Vitesse's youth setup in 2005, aged nine, after playing for VIOS Vaassen and hometown's AGOVV Apeldoorn. In the 2014 summer he was called to the main squad for the pre-season, also appearing in a 1–3 defeat against Chelsea. On 24 August 2014, after profiting from first-choice Wallace's injury, Diks made his first-team – and Eredivisie – debut, starting in a 1–2 away loss against PEC Zwolle. On 8 January of the following year, after being already a permanent part of the main squad, he renewed his link until 2018.

Fiorentina On 6 July 2016, Diks joined Serie A side Fiorentina on a five-year deal after impressing at Vitesse. He later requested number 34 shirt in tribute to Abdelhak Nouri, who collapsed and suffered brain damage, ending his career.

On 23 October 2016, three months after signing for the Italian side, Diks finally made his long-awaited debut in a 5–3 away victory against Cagliari, replacing Cristian Tello in the 88th minute.

Vitesse (loan) On 31 January 2017, Diks returned to Vitesse on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign, after failing to make his breakthrough whilst in Italy. On 11 February 2017, Diks made his Vitesse return in their 2–0 home defeat against Willem II, playing the full 90 minutes. On 5 April 2017, Diks got sent off for a second bookable offence during Vitesse's 1–0 away victory against Heracles Almelo.

He came off the bench as Vitesse won the final of the KNVB Beker 2–0 against AZ Alkmaar on 30 April 2017 to help the club, three-time runners up, to the title for the first time in its 125-year history.

Feyenoord (loan) On 4 July 2017, Diks joined Feyenoord on a season-long loan.

On 22 April 2018, he played as Feyenoord won the 2017–18 KNVB Cup final 3–0 against AZ Alkmaar.

Empoli (loan) On 31 January 2019, Diks joined Serie A side Empoli on loan until 30 June 2019.

AGF (loan) On transfer deadline day, 2 September 2019, Diks was loaned out to Danish Superliga club AGF for the 2019–20 season. On 31 August 2020, the loan was renewed for the 2020–21 season.

Copenhagen On 5 July 2021, Diks returned to Denmark, signing a four-year deal with Copenhagen.

He won the Danish championship with the club, and also reached the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16, where they were eliminated by PSV Eindhoven. In 2023, Diks won the league and the Danish Cup with the team. Thus the club reached the group stage in the Champions League season, where they faced Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, and Manchester City, with the latter would win the tournament.

In the following season, the club was able to reach the Champions League round of 16 after finishing second in a group with Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, and Manchester United; they earned a point at Bayern's Allianz Arena and won 4–3 at home against United. In his third year in Copenhagen, Diks was an integral part of the defense, playing as a left full-back or as a center-back. However, Copenhagen would lose the league and Danish Cup titles.

In the 2024–25 season, they regained both the league and cup trophies. Diks also played in both legs of the Conference League round of 16 against Chelsea who became the eventual champion.

Borussia Monchengladbach On 26 January 2025, Borussia Mönchengladbach announced the signing of Diks on a five-year contract effective 1 July. On 24 August 2025, Diks made his Bundesliga debut, entering in the 77th minute as a substitute in a goalless draw against Hamburg, becoming the first Indonesian to play in the German top-flight.

International career On 9 October 2014, Diks made his Netherlands U19 debut in a 7–0 victory against Andorra U19, playing the first half before being replaced by Leeroy Owusu. Diks went on to make three more appearances before receiving a call-up to the under-20 squad. He has also represented at under-21 squad. In 2018, Diks was called up to the Netherlands senior team for a training camp, but did not play any matches for the senior team.

In October 2024, Diks confirmed that he had decided to represent Indonesia at international level. On 3 November 2024, he was called up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia. On 15 November 2024, he debuted in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Japan, but came off as a substitute after 41 minutes due to injury, as the latter defeated Indonesia 4–0.

On 8 October 2025, Diks scored two penalties in a 2–3 loss against Saudi Arabia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier fourth round.

Personal life Diks was born in Apeldoorn and has a brother, Jamarro, who was also a footballer. Diks is of Indonesian descent through his Moluccan mother.

On 8 November 2024, Diks officially obtained Indonesian citizenship.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Indonesia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Diks goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Kevin DiksNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 8 October 2025King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 7 1–02–32026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2 2–3

Honours Vitesse KNVB Cup: 2016–17

Copenhagen Danish Superliga: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25 Danish Cup: 2022–23, 2024–25

Indonesia FIFA Series runner-up: 2026

Individual Danish Superliga Team of the Season: 2023–24 FC Copenhagen Player of the Season: 2024