Biography
Who is Mark Flekken?
Early life and beginnings
Mark Maria Hubertus Flekken was born in Kerkrade, Netherlands, on June 13, 1993. He grew up in the town of Bocholtz, located in the province of Limburg, right along the border with Germany. His parents, René and Annie, were football players themselves, and his younger sibling Roy also followed the path of becoming a goalkeeper.
He started his path in the youth ranks of RKVV WDZ in his hometown. Later, he moved to the youth academy of Roda JC Kerkrade. In 2009, he crossed the border to join the youth setup of the German club Alemannia Aachen. He signed his first professional contract there on September 22, 2011.
Professional club career
During the 2012–13 season, coach René van Eck named Mark as the starting goalkeeper for Alemannia Aachen. He made his debut on January 26, 2013, against 1. FC Saarbrücken. He then moved to SpVgg Greuther Fürth for the 2013–14 season, where he served as a backup keeper for three years.
In June 2016, he signed with MSV Duisburg. During his time there, he famously scored a goal during a corner kick against VfL Osnabrück. He later joined SC Freiburg for the 2018–19 season. After serving as a backup, he became the starter in 2020, though a serious elbow injury interrupted his progress. He returned to the starting lineup in May 2021 and established himself as the first choice.
International play
Mark Flekken has represented the Netherlands at the senior international level. He received his first call-up to the national squad in November 2021 for World Cup qualification matches against Montenegro and Norway. His official debut for the Dutch national team occurred on March 26, 2022, in a friendly match against Denmark.
He was subsequently selected for the Netherlands squad participating in UEFA Euro 2024. Also, he was named to the national team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on May 27, 2026.
Honours and records
Throughout his career, Mark has achieved several team honors. He won the 3. Liga and the Lower Rhine Cup with MSV Duisburg during the 2016–17 season. With SC Freiburg II, he won the Regionalliga Südwest title in 2020–21. He also reached the DFB-Pokal final with SC Freiburg in 2022.
Individually, he gained recognition in the Premier League for his performance in goal. In February 2024, he received the Premier League Save of the Month award for his stop against Pedro Neto. By April 2025, data from the CIES Football Observatory Index rated him as the fifth-best goalkeeper in the world.
Birthday and age
Mark Flekken was born on June 13, 1993, which makes Mark 33 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Mark shares the date with 55 other famous people.
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