Mitchel Bakker
Mitchel Bakker (born 20 June 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left-back, left wing-back or left midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lille, on loan from Serie A club Atalanta. Club careerAjaxBakker made his debut for Ajax in a 7–0 KNVB Cup win against Te Werve on 26 September 2018.[3] He played his second and final game for the senior team in a 3–0 cup win against Go Ahead Eagles on 31 October 2018.[4] Paris Saint-GermainOn 7 July 2019, Mitchel Bakker signed for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer. His contract tied him to the club for four seasons.[5] Bakker made his debut for PSG on 29 January 2020 in a 2–0 Coupe de France win against Pau, coming on as a substitute.[6] He made his first start for the club in a 6–1 cup win against Dijon on 12 February,[7] and made his first Ligue 1 appearance and start in a 4–4 draw against Amiens on 15 February.[8] After the Ligue 1 season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PSG was awarded the title.[9] On 15 June, Bakker was nominated for the Golden Boy, being one of three PSG players in the 100-player shortlist; he was later included in the list of the top 20 candidates.[10][11] On 24 July, Bakker started and played all 90 minutes in the 2020 Coupe de France Final against Saint-Étienne. The final score was 1–0 for PSG.[12] In the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final on 31 July, he played the entire match as PSG won 6–5 on penalties against Lyon.[13] On 20 October 2020, Bakker made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 loss against Manchester United.[14] Due to injuries to Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa, Bakker had more play time in the 2020–21 season than he did in the previous one;[15] by the end of the campaign, he had made 40 appearances.[16] He notably started in PSG's 2–1 Champions League semi-final loss to Manchester City on 28 April 2021.[17] Bakker won the Trophée des Champions and Coupe de France in his final season in Paris.[18][19] Bayer LeverkusenOn 12 July 2021, Bakker joined Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He signed a four-year contract with the club.[20] According to reports, the transfer fee of the deal was of 7 million euros, potentially rising to 10 million with bonuses.[21] A buy-back option for PSG was reportedly included in the deal.[22] Bakker scored his first goal for Leverkusen in a 4–0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on 21 August.[16] AtalantaOn 7 July 2023, Bakker joined Serie A club Atalanta.[23] Loan to LilleOn 30 August 2024, Bakker was loaned to Ligue 1 club Lille for the season.[24] International careerBakker is a youth international for the Netherlands. He has represented his home country from under-15 to under-21 level.[citation needed] In October 2022, Bakker was included in the preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[25] Career statistics
HonoursJong Ajax Ajax Paris Saint-Germain
Atalanta References
External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Mitchel Bakker.
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