Mees Hilgers
.jpg) Hilgers playing for Twente in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mees Victor Joseph Hilgers[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 May 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Amersfoort, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Twente | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2009 | Nieuwland | ||
| 2009–2011 | Sparta Nijkerk | ||
| 2011–2020 | Twente | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020– | Twente | 96 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Netherlands U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Indonesia | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024 | |||
Mees Victor Joseph Hilgers (born 13 May 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eredivisie side Twente. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Indonesia national team.
Club career
Early career
Hilgers started playing football at ASC Nieuwland in his hometown of Amersfoort. After moving to Nijkerk, he played in the youth team of Sparta Nijkerk. At the age of ten, he moved to the academy of FC Twente.
Twente
On 6 December 2018, Hilgers signed his first professional contract with FC Twente.[3] He made his professional debut with Twente in a 2–1 Eredivisie win over AFC Ajax on 5 December 2020.[4]
2022–23 season
In the 2022–23 season, Hilgers was out of action for some time from March due to a groin injury. After returning he lost his starting place to Julio Pleguezuelo. He seemed to be heading for a departure from FC Twente, but he signed a new contract in July 2023 until mid-2026.[5][6]
2024–25 season
On 13 August 2024, Hilgers scored a goal against Red Bull Salzburg in the second leg of UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round in a 3–3 draw, but Twente lost 4–5 on aggregate.[7]
On 25 September 2024, Hilgers started and played the full 90 minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 1–1 draw in the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage.[8] He also played the following match, a 1-1 draw against Fenerbahçe at home, where he became the first Indonesian to play in the Europa League.
International career
Hilgers is a former youth international for Netherlands at under-21 level.[9]
In September 2024, Hilgers opted to represent Indonesia.[10] The following month, he was called up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches against Bahrain and China.[11] On 10 October 2024, Hilgers made his debut against Bahrain in a 2–2 draw.
Personal life
Born in the Netherlands, Hilgers is of Indonesian descent through his mother who is from Manado, North Sulawesi.[12][13]
On 30 September 2024, Hilgers officially obtained Indonesian citizenship after being sworned as citizens of Indonesia during a ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy alongside Eliano Reijnders.[14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 2 November 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Twente | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | — | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 96 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 4 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Conference League
- ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 15 October 2024[16]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Honours
Individual
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: January 2022[17]
References
- ^ "10 Fakta Keluarga Mees Hilgers, Mamanya Asli Manado" [10 facts about the Mees Hilgers family, his mother is originally from Manado.]. POPMAMA (in Indonesian). 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Mees Hilgers: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "FC Twente". FC Twente.
- ^ "Ajax vs. Twente - 5 December 2020 - Soccerway". ca.soccerway.com.
- ^ Mees Hilgers tekent nieuw contract: "Nog niet klaar bij FC Twente", FCTwente.nl, 12 July 2023. Gearchiveerd op 22 July 2023.
- ^ Mees Hilgers en FC Twente bereiken akkoord: verdediger blijft in Enschede, Tubantia, 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Sejarah! Gol Sundulan Maut Mees Hilgers di Liga Champions: Layak Bela Timnas Indonesia". suara.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Twente Tahan Imbang MU di Liga Europa: Mees Hilgers Cetak Sejarah". cnnindonesia.com (in Indonesian). 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Profil Mees Hilgers, Calon Pemain Naturalisasi Timnas Indonesia" [Profile of Mees Hilgers, a naturalized footballer candidate for the Indonesian national team.]. Kumparan (in Indonesian).
- ^ "Hilgers en Eliano Reijnders kiezen voor Indonesië". vi.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "Timnas Indonesia Panggil 27 Pemain untuk Lawan Bahrain dan China, Termasuk Mees Hilgers dan Eliano Reijnders". bola.net (in Indonesian). 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Profil Mees Hilgers, Calon Pemain Naturalisasi Timnas Indonesia Keturunan Manado". tempo.co (in Indonesian). 7 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Mees Hilgers mother named Linda Tombeng".
- ^ "Hilgers dan Reijnders Resmi Jadi WNI". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ Mees Hilgers at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Mees Hilgers". National Football Teams. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "AZ breaks through the Ajax stronghold in the Eredivisie team of the month". eredivisie.eu. 28 January 2022.
External links
- Mees Hilgers at Soccerway