Otman Bakkal (born 27 February 1985) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.[2]
He began his career at PSV, and was loaned to Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Twente and Feyenoord. After making a permanent move to Dynamo Moscow in the summer of 2012, he returned to Feyenoord one year later.[3] A youth international for the Netherlands, he gained one cap for the senior team in 2009.
Bakkal made his senior debut for PSV during the 2003–04 season in a 3–0 UEFA Cup win over Auxerre. Three days later, on 28 March 2004, he made his league debut and the first senior start of his career in a 3–1 loss against Willem II. He signed a new three-year deal with PSV in May 2004.[4]
Over the next three seasons, Bakkal would not get any playing time at PSV. Instead, he was loaned out to Den Bosch, Eindhoven and Twente.[5][6][7]
Following the 2006–07 season, Bakkal re-joined PSV and saw regular first-team action. In November 2010, he was bitten in the shoulder by Luis Suárez during a 0–0 draw against Ajax. That incident caused Suárez to be suspended for seven games.[8]
During the 2010–11 season, Bakkal was loaned to Feyenoord, having lost any expectation of regular playing time with PSV.[9] He displayed impressive form and drew the interest of Premier League side Swansea City.[10] Instead, he joined Russian club Dynamo Moscow for the 2012–13 season.[11]
A year after leaving the Netherlands for Russia, Bakkal returned to the Eredivisie to sign for former loan club Feyenoord, signing a one-year contract running until 30 June 2014.[12] At the end of the 2013–14 season, his contract was subsequently allowed to expire.[13]
In March 2016, Bakkal announced he was not looking for a new club anymore after two years as a free agent, effectively retiring from football.[14]
Bakkal played at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and the 2008 Summer Olympics.[15] He made his debut for the senior national side in 2009, after coming on as a substitute for Rafael van der Vaart in a friendly match against Paraguay.[11] He played the final six minutes of the game, and it would remain his only cap, giving him the shortest career in the Netherlands national team ever.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| PSV | 2003–04 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 9[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 41 | 9 | |
| 2008–09 | Eredivisie | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2009–10 | Eredivisie | 31 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 12[f] | 1 | — | 46 | 12 | ||
| 2010–11 | Eredivisie | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11[f] | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 118 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 164 | 27 | ||
| Den Bosch (loan) | 2004–05 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Eindhoven (loan) | 2005–06 | Eerste Divisie | 33 | 8 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 36 | 11 | ||
| Twente (loan) | 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4[g] | 0 | 1[h] | 0 | 36 | 11 |
| Feyenoord (loan) | 2011–12 | Eredivisie | 29 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||
| Dynamo Moscow | 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| Feyenoord | 2013–14 | Eredivisie | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 229 | 45 | 14 | 6 | 44 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 289 | 53 | ||
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