Mees Hilgers has taken his first steps for SC Heerenveen. The 25-year-old defender played 30 minutes on Thursday in a closed-door friendly against Telstar that ended 2-2.
The 120-minute match was arranged to maintain players' rhythm during the international break. Heerenveen took the lead through Luca Oyen, who dribbled past an opponent and fired home into the right corner. Telstar equalised through Rui Mendes before Fofin Turay put the Velsen-Zuid side ahead. In the final stages, a cross from Anas Bouziane found Kirayno Schaken via Yannick Meerveld for the leveller.
For Hilgers, it was his first match since May 2025, when he lost the European playoff final with FC Twente. His contract at Twente had expired but was automatically extended under the collective bargaining agreement. After suffering a serious knee injury while playing for Indonesia, Heerenveen offered him an escape route. "He played for half an hour," Hilgers said afterwards.
Kees van Wonderen's side currently sit tenth in the Eredivisie with nine points from seven games. Their last five league matches have yielded one win, two draws and two defeats. The next fixture is away to third-placed PSV Eindhoven on 9 October. Heerenveen's full squad list and upcoming fixtures are available on the club site.
More detail at Voetbal International
