Mees Bakker

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

Club career AZ Bakker started his youth career at hometown club HSV Heiloo before joining the academy of AZ. 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.

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.

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

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

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."

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.

Career statistics

Club

Honours Netherlands U17 UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2018