Another Filipino football player is set to try his luck in one of the top leagues within the region.
Justin Baas, a 20-year-old Filipino-Dutch defender for the Philippine National Men’s Football Team, announced that he has signed with Ratchaburi Mitr Phol Football Club of Thailand, Tuesday evening.
“(I am) really happy to sign a three-year deal with Ratchaburi Mitr Phol FC. I can’t wait and (I am) looking forward to playing in the Thai Leauge,” shared the resident of Quezon City in a social media post on Instagram.
“Happy to be a dragon!”
Baas gained fame playing for the Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
His most notable contribution to the country was a goal in the 1-2 defeat at the hands of Myanmar in the group stage of the said competition.
The former Jong AZ player then represented the nation at the senior level when he featured against Guam as part of the Azkals’ journey in the joint 2022 FIFA World Cup/2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualification campaign on September 10, 2019.
The 6-foot-1 joins a team that finished in eighth place with a record of nine wins, 10 draws, and 11 losses after 30 matches in the 2019 season of the Thai League, which is Thailand’s premier football competition. Ratchaburi Mitr Phol were crowned champions of the said competition once in its history, in 2012.
In the current standings, Ratchaburi Mitr Phol sits second in the league table with 12 points. The tournament has since halted because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It is stated for resumption on September 12, 2020.
Baas joins the likes of Javier Patino and Luke Woodland as Filipino players competing for Ratchaburi Mitr Phol in the Thai League. Additionally, their fellow Azkals comrade Michael Falkesgaard is playing for Bangkok United.
