Mitchel Bakker (born 20 June 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left-back, left wing-back or left midfielder. He most recently played for Serie A club Atalanta.
Club career
Ajax Bakker made his debut for Ajax in a 7–0 KNVB Cup win against Te Werve on 26 September 2018. 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.
Paris Saint-Germain On 7 July 2019, Bakker signed for French side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a four-year-contract, signing as a free agent.
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. He made his first start for the club in a 6–1 cup win against Dijon on 12 February, and made his first Ligue 1 appearance and start in a 4–4 draw against Amiens on 15 February. After the Ligue 1 season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PSG was awarded the title. 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. 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. 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.
On 20 October 2020, Bakker made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 loss against Manchester United. Due to injuries to left-backs Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa, Bakker had more playing time in the 2020–21 season than he did in the previous season; by the end of the campaign, he had recorded 40 appearances. He notably started in PSG's 2–1 Champions League semi-final loss to Manchester City on 28 April 2021. Bakker won the Trophée des Champions and Coupe de France in his final season in Ligue 1.
Bayer Leverkusen On 12 July 2021, Bakker joined Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, and subsequently signed a four-year contract with the club. According to reports, the transfer fee of the deal was of €7 million, potentially rising to €10 million with contractual bonuses. A buy-back option for PSG was reportedly included in the deal. Bakker scored his first goal for Leverkusen in a 4–0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on 21 August.
Atalanta On 7 July 2023, Bakker joined Serie A club Atalanta. On 1 September 2026, Atalanta announced an agreement with Bakker to terminate the player's contract.
Loan to Lille On 30 August 2024, Bakker returned to France, having been loaned to Ligue 1 club Lille for the rest of the 2024–25 season.
International career Bakker is a former youth international for the Netherlands, most notably representing the Netherlands U21 side from 2020 to 2023. He has represented his home country from under-15 level to then under-21.
In October 2022, Bakker was included in the preliminary 39-man Dutch squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, he did not end up making the final roster for the tournament.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Jong Ajax2017–18Eerste Divisie150————1502018–19Eerste Divisie220————220Total370————370Ajax2018–19Eredivisie0020—00—20Paris Saint-Germain2019–20Ligue 11030100000502020–21Ligue 126040—10000400Total270701010000450Bayer Leverkusen2021–22Bundesliga25110—40—3012022–23Bundesliga28310—111—404Total53420—151—705Atalanta2023–24Serie A14110—50—2012024–25Serie A10———10202025–26Serie A 1000—00—10Total16110—5010231Lille (loan)2024–25Ligue 124330—81—354Atalanta U232025–26Serie C10————10Career total1588150103821021310
Honours Jong Ajax Eerste Divisie: 2017–18
Ajax KNVB Cup: 2018–19
Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1: 2019–20 Coupe de France: 2019–20, 2020–21 Coupe de la Ligue: 2019–20 Trophée des Champions: 2020 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20
Atalanta UEFA Europa League: 2023–24
References
External links