Mike Penders
Belgian footballer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mike Louis Penders (born 31 July 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, on loan from Premier League club Chelsea.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mike Louis Penders[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 July 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Maasmechelen, Belgium | ||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Strasbourg (on loan from Chelsea) | ||
| Number | 39 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2016 | Boorsem Sport | ||
| 2016–2018 | Bregel Sport | ||
| 2018–2022 | Genk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Jong Genk | 39 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Genk | 21 | (0) |
| 2025– | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| 2025– | → Strasbourg (loan) | 33 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021 | Belgium U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Belgium U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Belgium U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2025– | Belgium U21 | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:02, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13:24, 30 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Genk
Penders is a youth product of Boorsem Sport and Bregel Sport, before moving to the academy of Genk in 2018.[3]
On 30 April 2021, he signed his first contract with Genk.[4] On 25 May 2022, he extended his contract until 2025.[5]
In the 2022–23 season, he was promoted to their reserve team Jong Genk.[2] He made his debut in a 4–1 victory against Lierse.[6][7]
On 23 August 2023, he again extended his contract until 2028.[8] He was made captain of Jong Genk in the 2023–24 season[7]
Following the departure of Maarten Vandevoordt and injury to Hendrik Van Crombrugge, Penders made his senior debut with the Genk first team in a 0–0 Belgian Pro League tie with Standard Liège on 28 July 2024.[9] At 18 years and 363 days, he was the third youngest goalkeeper to debut in the history of the league.[10]
In January 2025, Genk coach Thorsten Fink announced that Penders would be the team's starting goalkeeper for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.[11] He ended the season having played 21 league matches, including all ten matches in the Championship play-offs.[12]
Chelsea
On 27 August 2024, it was announced that Penders would join Premier League club Chelsea in the summer of 2025.[7][13]
In June 2025, Penders was named in Chelsea's squad for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.[14] He was an unused substitute in the final on 13 July 2025.[15]
Loan to Strasbourg
On 28 July 2025, Penders joined Ligue 1 club Strasbourg on a season-long loan deal.[16]
He made his debut for Strasbourg in their opening Ligue 1 fixture on 17 August, keeping a clean sheet against Metz.[17] He was an ever present in Strasbourg's runs to the semi-finals of both the Coupe de France[18] and UEFA Conference League.[19]
International career
Penders is a youth international for Belgium, having represented the nation at under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 level.
In 2023, he was called up to the Belgium U19s where he acted as captain during the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification campaign.[20]
In 2025, Penders played four matches during qualification for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[21]
In August 2025, he received his first call up to the senior Belgium national football team.[22] On 18 November, he was an unused substitute in a 7–0 win over Liechtenstein in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[23]
On 15 May 2026, he was named in Belgium's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[24]
Career statistics
- As of match played 17 May 2026[25]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong Genk | 2021–22 | Challenger Pro League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Challenger Pro League | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||||
| 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | |||||
| 2024–25 | Challenger Pro League | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 39 | 0 | ||||||
| Genk | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| Chelsea | 2024–25 | Premier League | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Strasbourg (loan) | 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 12[b] | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 93 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 0 | ||
- Includes Belgian Cup, Coupe de France
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
Honours
Chelsea