Mitchel Bakker (born 20 June 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left-back, left wing-back or left midfielder for Serie A club Atalanta.
Bakker made his debut for Ajax in a 7âÂÂ0 KNVB Cup win against Te Werve on 26 September 2018. He played his second and final game for the senior team in a 3âÂÂ0 cup win against Go Ahead Eagles on 31 October 2018.
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 2âÂÂ0 Coupe de France win against Pau, coming on as a substitute. He made his first start for the club in a 6âÂÂ1 cup win against Dijon on 12 February, and made his first Ligue 1 appearance and start in a 4âÂÂ4 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-ÃÂtienne. The final score was 1âÂÂ0 for PSG. In the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final on 31 July, he played the entire match as PSG won 6âÂÂ5 on penalties against Lyon.
On 20 October 2020, Bakker made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming on as a substitute in a 2âÂÂ1 loss against Manchester United. Due to injuries to left-backs Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa, Bakker had more playing time in the 2020âÂÂ21 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 2âÂÂ1 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.
On 12 July 2021, Bakker joined German 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 â¬7 million, potentially rising to â¬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 4âÂÂ0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on 21 August.
On 7 July 2023, Bakker joined Italian Serie A club Atalanta.
On 30 August 2024, Bakker returned to France, having been loaned to Ligue 1 club Lille for the rest of the 2024âÂÂ25 season.
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.
Jong Ajax
Ajax
Paris Saint-Germain
Atalanta