Youri Baas
Dutch footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Youri Baas (born 17 March 2003) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Eredivisie club Ajax.[1]
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Baas with Ajax in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Youri Baas | ||
| Date of birth | 17 March 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Oostvoorne, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ajax | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| OVV Oostvoorne | |||
| 2012–2018 | Excelsior | ||
| 2018–2020 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | Jong Ajax | 50 | (2) |
| 2022– | Ajax | 62 | (5) |
| 2023–2024 | → N.E.C. (loan) | 25 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Netherlands U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Netherlands U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 2019 | Netherlands U17 | 7 | (0) |
| 2021 | Netherlands U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023 | Netherlands U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Netherlands U21 | 7 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 August 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 November 2024 | |||
A product of the De Toekomst youth setup, Baas began his professional career as a left-back before successfully transitioning into a left-sided central defender. After a loan spell at N.E.C., he established himself as a key starter for Ajax, winning the Ajax Talent of the Year award in 2025 and the Ajax Player of the Year award for the 2025–26 season.
Club career
Early career and Jong Ajax
Born in Oostvoorne, Baas began playing youth football with local amateur side OVV before joining the youth academy of Excelsior in 2012. In 2018, he moved to the Ajax Youth Academy.[2]
Baas made his professional debut with Jong Ajax in a 2–2 Eerste Divisie draw against De Graafschap on 11 December 2020, entering as an 86th-minute substitute for Naci Ünüvar.[3] On 26 March 2021, he signed a contract extension keeping him in Amsterdam until June 2024.[4]
Ajax
Baas made his senior first-team debut for Ajax on 28 August 2022, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 Eredivisie victory over FC Utrecht.[5] He registered ten appearances across the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and UEFA Champions League during the 2022–23 season.[1]
Loan to N.E.C.
For the 2023–24 season, Baas joined N.E.C. on a season-long loan to gain senior experience.[6] Utilized as both a left-back and left midfielder by manager Rogier Meijer, he made 25 league appearances and scored three goals.[1] He also helped N.E.C. reach the 2024 KNVB Cup final, starting in the 1–0 defeat to Feyenoord.[7]
Positional transition and Player of the Year (2024–2026)
Upon returning to Ajax for the 2024–25 season, head coach Francesco Farioli converted Baas from a left-back into a left-sided central defender, forming a central pairing alongside Josip Šutalo.[8] He received a red card following two yellow cards in a UEFA Europa League match against Slavia Prague on 3 October 2024.[9] On 20 December 2024, Baas signed a new contract extension with Ajax through 30 June 2028.[5] At the end of the 2024–25 campaign, he was named Ajax Talent of the Year.[10]
During the 2025–26 season, Baas solidified his position as Ajax's primary left-centre-back and wore the captain's armband in an Eredivisie match against his former club N.E.C.[10] Statistically, he led the Eredivisie in total completed passes (2,124 out of 2,317, a 92.4% accuracy rate) and led Ajax in ball recoveries (140).[10] Following the season, he was voted the Ajax Player of the Year for 2025–26 by the Ajax Supporters Association.[10]
International career
Baas represented the Netherlands across several youth categories, including the under-15, under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20, and under-21 national teams.[11]
In March 2025, national team manager Ronald Koeman called up Baas to the senior Netherlands squad for the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches against Spain.[12]
Style of play
Initially trained as an attacking full-back, Baas developed into a ball-playing central defender under Francesco Farioli. Known for his tactical intelligence, pressing resistance, and high-volume line-breaking passing, he has cited former teammate Daley Blind as a major influence on his ability to delay passes to manipulate opposition pressure.[8][13] To meet the physical demands of central defence, Baas added four kilograms of muscle mass during his physical development at Ajax.[8]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 20 August 2026
| Club | Season | League | KNVB Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong Ajax | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 23 | 1 | — | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 2 | — | — | — | 50 | 2 | |||||
| Ajax | 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15[b] | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 41 | 4 | |
| 2026–27 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 62 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 94 | 5 | ||
| NEC Nijmegen (loan) | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 137 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 171 | 10 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in European play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
Honours
N.E.C.
Individual
- AFC Ajax Player of the Year: 2025–26[10]
- Ajax Talent of the Year: 2024–25[10]
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: September 2024[14]
