Mees Victor Joseph Hilgers (born 13 May 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eredivisie club FC 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.
He made his professional debut with
FC Twente in a 2–1
Eredivisie win over
AFC Ajax on 5 December 2020.
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 Twente, but he signed a new contract in July 2023 until mid-2026.
[ Mees Hilgers tekent nieuw contract: "Nog niet klaar bij FC Twente", FCTwente.nl, 12 July 2023.
]
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Gearchiveerd op 22 July 2023.[ Mees Hilgers en FC Twente bereiken akkoord: verdediger blijft in Enschede, Tubantia, 23 June 2023.]
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.
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. 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.
In September 2024, Hilgers confirmed that he had decided to represent Indonesia at international level. On 1 October 2024, he was called up for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches against Bahrain and China. On 10 October 2024, he made his debut against Bahrain in a 2–2 draw.
Personal life
Born in the Netherlands, Hilgers is of Indonesian descent.
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.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |
|
|
FC Twente | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 0 |
2021–22 | 1 |
2022–23 | 1 |
2023–24 | 0 |
2024–25 | 2 |
|
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year |
|
Indonesia | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
2025 | 2 | 0 |
|
See also
-
List of Indonesia international footballers born outside Indonesia
External links