Mike Louis Penders (; born 31 July 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Chelsea.
Club career Genk Penders is a youth product of Boorsem Sport and Bregel Sport, before moving to the academy of Genk in 2018.
On 30 April 2021, he signed his first contract with Genk. On 25 May 2022, he extended his contract until 2025.
In the 2022–23 season, he was promoted to their reserve team Jong Genk. He made his debut in a 4–1 victory against Lierse.
On 23 August 2023, he again extended his contract until 2028. He was made captain of Jong Genk in the 2023–24 season
Following the departure of Maarten Vandevoordt and injury to Hendrik Van Crombrugge, Penders made his senior debut with the Genk first team in a 0–0 Belgian Pro League tie with Standard Liège on 28 July 2024. At 18 years and 363 days, he was the third youngest goalkeeper to debut in the history of the league.
In January 2025, Genk coach Thorsten Fink announced that Penders would be the team's starting goalkeeper for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. He ended the season having played 21 league matches, including all ten matches in the Championship play-offs.
Chelsea On 27 August 2024, it was announced that Penders would join Premier League club Chelsea in the summer of 2025.
In June 2025, Penders was named in Chelsea's squad for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. He was an unused substitute in the final on 13 July 2025.
Loan to Strasbourg On 28 July 2025, Penders joined Ligue 1 club Strasbourg on a season-long loan deal.
He made his debut for Strasbourg in their opening Ligue 1 fixture on 17 August, keeping a clean sheet against Metz. He was ever present in Strasbourg's runs to the semi-finals of both the Coupe de France and UEFA Conference League.
Return to Chelsea On 27 August 2026, Penders made his debut for Chelsea in the second round of the EFL Cup, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over Luton Town.
International career Penders is a youth international for Belgium, having represented the nation at under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 level.
In 2023, he was called up to the Belgium U19s where he acted as captain during the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification campaign.
In 2025, Penders played four matches during qualification for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
In August 2025, he received his first call up to the senior Belgium national football team. On 18 November, he was an unused substitute in a 7–0 win over Liechtenstein in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
On 15 May 2026, he was named in Belgium's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJong Genk2021–22Challenger Pro League00————002022–23Challenger Pro League90————902023–24Challenger Pro League250————2502024–25Challenger Pro League50————50Total390————390Genk2024–25Belgian Pro League21040———250Chelsea2024–25Premier League————00002026–27Premier League000020——20Total000020000020Strasbourg (loan)2025–26Ligue 133050—120—500Career total9309010130001160
Honours Chelsea FIFA Club World Cup: 2025
References
External links
RBFA Profile