Sari Kees
{{Short description|Belgian footballer (born 2001)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Sari Kees
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|2001|2|17}}
| birth_place = Belgium
| height = 1.74 m
| currentclub = Leicester City
| clubnumber = 22
| position = Defender
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = SP Budingen
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 = KSV Drieslinter
| youthyears3 =
| youthclubs3 = OH Leuven
| years1 = 2016–2019
| clubs1 = OH Leuven
| caps1 = 43
| goals1 = 8
| years2 = 2019–2020
| clubs2 = Genk
| caps2 = 15
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2020–2024
| clubs3 = OH Leuven
| caps3 = 89
| goals3 = 11
| years4 = 2024–
| clubs4 = Leicester City
| caps4 = 6
| goals4 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2015
| nationalteam1 = Belgium U15
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2015–2017
| nationalteam2 = Belgium U16
| nationalcaps2 = 4
| nationalgoals2 = 1
| nationalyears3 = 2016–2018
| nationalteam3 = Belgium U17
| nationalcaps3 = 16
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 2018–2020
| nationalteam4 = Belgium U19
| nationalcaps4 = 20
| nationalgoals4 = 3
| nationalyears5 = 2021
| nationalteam5 = Belgium U23
| nationalcaps5 = 2
| nationalgoals5 = 0
| nationalteam6 = Belgium
| nationalyears6 = 2022–
| nationalcaps6 = 34
| nationalgoals6 = 5
| club-update = 9 February 2025
| ntupdate = 5 December 2024{{Cite web |access-date=5 December 2024 |title=Al onze Red Flames |trans-title=All our Red Flames|url=https://www.rbfa.be/nl/nationale-ploegen/belgian-red-flames/alle-red-flames |website=RBFA |language=nl}}
}}
Sari Kees ({{IPA|nl-BE|ˈsaː.ri keːs|lang}}; born 17 February 2001) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a defender for FA Women's Super League club Leicester City and the Belgium national team.
Club career
Kees started her youth career as a goalkeeper at SP Budingen. At age 10, she joined OH Leuven, and further developed as a central defender throughout their youth teams for the next eight seasons.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}
On 12 June 2019, it was announced that Kees joined Racing Genk for one season, becoming a team regular there.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-12 |title=KRC Genk Ladies blijven zich maar versterken |url=https://www.vrouwenvoetbalkrant.be/nieuws/2019-06-12/krc-genk-ladies-blijven-zich-maar-versterken |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Vrouwenvoetbalkrant.be |language=nl}}{{Cite web |title=Sari Kees: Wedstrijden |url=https://www.voetbalkrant.com/belgie/kees-sari/wedstrijden |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Voetbalkrant.com |language=nl}}
Kees returned to OH Leuven again in April 2020,{{cite news |title=Drie Genkies beproeven hun geluk in Leuven |url=https://www.ohleuven.com/nieuws/1659935/drie-genkies-beproeven-hun-geluk-in-leuven |access-date=12 April 2021 |publisher=Oud-Heverlee Leuven |date=20 April 2020 |language=Dutch}} scoring the winning goal in their 1–0 win against defending champions Anderlecht in March 2022.{{Cite web |title=OHL wint van RSCA|url=https://www.hln.be/sport-in-de-buurt/oh-leuven-women-wint-alweer-van-rsca-sari-kees-maakte-enige-doelpunt-goal-was-niet-gevallen-zonder-fans~aa72bbe2/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |language=nl}} Leuven ended in second place behind Anderlecht for three straight seasons, from 2020-21 to 2022-23, and in 2023-24 won the regular season only to be overhauled in the title play-offs{{Cite news |title=Anderlecht verkoopt OH Leuven nu ook titeltik dankzij gouden wissels en doelpunt in 90e minuut|trans-title=Anderlecht deals title blow to OH Leuven thanks to golden substitutions and goal in the 90th minute |url=https://sporza.be/nl/matches/voetbal/lotto-super-league/2023-2024/play-off-i/07/oh-leuven-anderlecht-anderlecht-verkoopt-oh-leuven-nu-ook-titeltik-dankzij-gouden-wissels-en-doelpunt-in-90e-minuut~1687445348115//|date=2024-05-04 |website=Sporza |language=nl}}{{Cite news |title=Standard knikkert OHL uit titelstrijd met felbevochten zege en komt virtueel aan de leiding|trans-title=Standard knocks OHL out of title race with hard-fought win and takes virtual lead |url=https://sporza.be/nl/matches/voetbal/lotto-super-league/2023-2024/play-off-i/08/oh-leuven-standard-luik-standard-knikkert-ohl-uit-titelstrijd-met-felbevochten-zege-en-komt-virtueel-aan-de-leiding~1687446124531/|date=2024-05-11 |website=Sporza |language=nl}}
Kees stated that her ambitions for the coming years are becoming a full-time member of the national team, and earning a transfer to a foreign club, which came true when she signed for OHL's sister club Leicester City in July 2024.{{Cite news |title=Flames on the move: OHL ziet Kees naar Leicester trekken, PSV plukt Evrard weg bij Chelsea|trans-title=Flames on the move: OHL sees Kees move to Leicester, PSV plucks Evrard from Chelsea|url=https://sporza.be/nl/2024/07/19/flames-on-the-move-ohl-ziet-kees-naar-leicester-trekken-psv-plukt-evrard-weg-bij-chelsea~1721387955361/|date=2024-07-19 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Sporza |language=nl}}
International career
Kees is a member of the national team since the under-15s. As a central defender, she played for the under-19s in the UEFA U19 Championship in 2019 in their group matches against Spain, Germany and England.{{Cite web |title=Sari Kees :: OH Leuven |url=https://www.playmakerstats.com/player_results.php?id=729504&edicao_id=127727 |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=www.playmakerstats.com |language=en}}
Kees made her debut for the Belgium national team on 16 February 2022, in a 4–0 win against Slovakia in the Pinatar Cup in Spain.{{Cite web |title=Match Report of Slovakia vs Belgium - 2022-02-16 - Pinatar Cup - Global Sports Archive |url=https://globalsportsarchive.com/match/soccer/2022-02-16/slovakia-vs-belgium/2643860/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=globalsportsarchive.com}}
Kees was named in the Belgium squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2022 in England, where the Red Flames were beaten in the quarter-finals 1-0 by Sweden. She went on to contribute to Belgium's successful qualification for UEFA Women's Euro 2025 via the play-offs, starting both legs of the play-off final against Ukraine.{{Cite news |title=Red Flames dansen, zingen en glunderen na EK-kwalificatie: "Zeer belangrijk voor ons vrouwenvoetbal"|trans-title=Red Flames dance, sing and beam after European Championship qualification: "Very important for our women's football"|url=https://sporza.be/nl/2024/12/03/red-flames-dansen-zingen-en-glunderen-na-ek-kwalificatie-zeer-belangrijk-voor-ons-vrouwenvoetbal~1733261431019/|date=2024-12-05 |website=Sporza |language=nl}}{{Cite news |title=Het EK is binnen! Red Flames klaren ook laatste klus tegen Oekraïne na knappe goal en assist van Tessa Wullaert|trans-title=The European Championship is here! Red Flames complete final task against Ukraine after a great goal and assist from Tessa Wullaert |url=https://sporza.be/nl/matches/voetbal/2024-11/het-ek-is-binnen-red-flames-klaren-ook-laatste-klus-tegen-oekraine-na-knappe-goal-en-assist-van-tessa-wullaert~1732532810075/|date=2024-12-05 |website=Sporza |language=nl}}
Career statistics
=International=
{{updated|match played 6 October 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbfa.be/nl/international/8031/carriere|title=rbfa profile}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium U15
|2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| rowspan=3|Belgium U16
|2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 4 | 1 | |
| rowspan=4|Belgium U17
|2016 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | |
| rowspan=4|Belgium U19
|2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 3 | |
| Belgium U23
|2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| rowspan=3|Belgium
|2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 14 | 1 | |
| colspan=2|Career total | 57 | 5 |
International goals
| class="wikitable" | ||||||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6 September 2022 | Yerevan Football Academy Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia | {{fbw|ARM}} | align=center|7–0 | align=center| 7–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 13 November 2022 | Joseph Marien Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | {{fbw|SVK}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center| 7–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | rowspan=2| 23 February 2024 | rowspan=2| Pancho Aréna, Felcsút, Hungary | rowspan=2| {{fbw|HUN}} | align=center|1–1 | rowspan=2 align=center| 5–1 | rowspan=2| 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League play-offs |
| 4. | align=center|5–1 | |||||
| 5. | 9 April 2024 | Viborg Stadium, Viborg, Denmark | {{fbw|DEN}} | align=center|1–4 | align=center| 2–4 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying |
Honours
Belgium
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Royal Belgian Football Association player|8031}}
- {{Soccerway|441049}}
- {{GSA player|sari-kees/244461}}
{{Belgium squad UEFA Women's Euro 2022}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kees, Sari}}
Category:Belgian women's footballers
Category:Women's association football defenders
Category:Oud-Heverlee Leuven (women) players
Category:KRC Genk Ladies players
Category:Super League Vrouwenvoetbal players
Category:Belgium women's youth international footballers
Category:Belgium women's international footballers
Category:UEFA Women's Euro 2022 players