Mike Kleijn


Mike Kleijn is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left-back or midfielder for club Sparta Rotterdam.

Professional career

Kleijn began playing football with the youth side of Baronie, and moved to Feyenoord's youth academy at the age of 6 in 2011. He worked his way up their youth sides, eventually captaining the U18s, and signed his first professional contract with them on 2 November 2020. In September 2022, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide.
In his time with Feyenoord, Kleijn was included in the senior team's matchday squad only once, on 17 March 2022 in a Conference League game against Partizan, he remained on the bench in that game.
On 12 April 2024, Kleijn signed a four-year contract with Sparta Rotterdam, beginning in the 2024–25 season.

International career

Kleijn is a youth international for the Netherlands, and captained the Netherlands U17s at the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.