Suzanne Bakker
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 July 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Hensbroek, the Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Apollo '68 | |||
| –2007 | VV Reiger Boys | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2008 | FC Utrecht | 17 | (1) |
| 2008–2014 | ASV Wartburgia | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004–2005 | Netherlands | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2017 | ASV Wartburgia | ||
| 2017–2018 | Excelsior Rotterdam (assistant) | ||
| 2018–2022 | Jong AFC Ajax | ||
| 2022–2024 | AFC Ajax | ||
| 2024– | AC Milan | ||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 December 2024 | |||
Suzanne Bakker (born 9 July 1986) is a Dutch football manager and former footballer who manages AC Milan. She played briefly for the Netherlands women's national team. She coached Ajax for two seasons, winning the 2022–23 Eredivisie title and 2023–24 KNVB Women's Cup.
Career
[edit]Bakker started her managerial career with Dutch side ASV Wartburgia. In 2017, she was appointed as an assistant manager of Dutch side Excelsior Rotterdam, before being appointed as manager of the reserve team of Dutch side AFC Ajax in 2022. Two years later, she was promoted to manager of the club's first team, helping them win the Eredivisie and 2023–24 KNVB Women's Cup.[1] Despite this, she left them at the end of the 2023–24 season.[2] Ahead of the 2024–25 season, she was appointed manager of Italian side AC Milan. While managing the club, she was regarded to have preferred the 4–3–3 formation.[3]
Controversy
[edit]Nadia Nadim, a Danish player from Afganistan, who played football in a refugee camp, said that "training in the refugee camp was better" than training under Bakker in Milan in 2024.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Wie is Suzanne Bakker, de coach van de Ajax Vrouwen die vertrekt met bekerwinst?" [Who is Suzanne Bakker, the coach of Ajax Women who leaves with a cup win?] (in Dutch). VoetbalNieuws.nl. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Waarom coach Suzanne Bakker na dit seizoen moet vertrekken bij Ajax" [Why coach Suzanne Bakker must leave Ajax after this season] (in Dutch). NRC. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Milan, giovani al potere: la rivoluzione silenziosa di Suzanne Bakker" [Milan, Youth in Power: Suzanne Bakker's Silent Revolution] (in Italian). Goal.com. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Nadia Nadim strongly criticises former coach at AC Milan: 'Like training in a refugee camp'". Flashscore. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus (1 April 2025). "Nadia Nadim and the pursuit of happiness in women's football". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2025.