 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jon Bakero González | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-11-05)5 November 1996 (age 29) | ||
| Place of birth | Sitges, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,second striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlotte Independence | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2010 | La Blanca Subur | ||
| 2010–2011 | Agrykola Warszawa | ||
| 2011 | Lech Poznań | ||
| 2012 | MSP Szamotuły | ||
| 2012–2014 | La Blanca Subur | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 88 | (37) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | FC Tucson | 8 | (1) |
| 2017 | Carolina Dynamo | 7 | (5) |
| 2018 | Chicago Fire | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | →Tulsa Roughnecks (loan) | 3 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Toronto FC | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | →Toronto FC II (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2019 | →Phoenix Rising (loan) | 24 | (3) |
| 2020–2021 | Phoenix Rising | 42 | (5) |
| 2022 | Slavia Sofia | 17 | (5) |
| 2022–2023 | Pontevedra | 25 | (0) |
| 2023 | Slavia Sofia | 8 | (0) |
| 2024 | Lleida Esportiu | 16 | (3) |
| 2024 | Memphis 901 | 11 | (1) |
| 2025– | Charlotte Independence | 28 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 31, 2025 | |||
Jon Bakero González (born 5 November 1996) is a Spanishfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder forCharlotte Independence in theUSL League One. In 2017, Bakero won the MACHermann Trophy, an annual award given to the topcollege soccer player in theUnited States.
Bakero played college soccer for Wake Forest in theAtlantic Coast Conference, where he was a regular starter all four years. In total, Bakero made 88 appearances for the Demon Deacons, scoring 37 goals across all competitive matches. Bakero made his debut for Wake Forest on 29 August 2014 in a 3–1 loss againstUCLA. A month later, he would earn his first points with Wake Forest, notching an assist against Akron on 30 September 2014, in a 2–1 victory. In the following match, on 3 October 2014, Bakero scored his first collegiate goal against Duke in a 4–1 victory. Bakero would score multiple times two weeks later.
During his sophomore year, Bakero improved on his freshman campaign and scored eight season goals, and would go on to earn Third Team All-ACC recognition. Between his sophomore and junior years, Bakero played forFC Tucson in thePremier Development League, an off-season amateur league that allows college soccer players to retain their NCAA eligibility while still playing competitively during the offseason. Bakero finished the2016 PDL season with one goal in eight appearances for Tucson.
In his junior year, Bakero played an integral part of the2016 Wake Forest team that earned their first ACC Men's Soccer Championship since 1989, and their first berth in theNCAA College Cup Final since 2007. Bakero earned All-ACC Tournament XI honors and College Cup Best XI honors. In between his junior and senior years, Bakero returned to the PDL where he scored five times in seven appearances for theCarolina Dynamo.
Bakero lead the Deacs in scoring for his senior year, where he notched 16 goals in 23 appearances. He helped Wake Forest successfully defend their ACC Tournament title, and reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. He was awarded with First-Team All ACC honors, theACC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year and theHermann Trophy, which is given annually by theMissouri Athletic Club to the best college soccer player in the United States.
Ahead of the2018 Major League Soccer season, it was announced that Bakero had signed a contract withMajor League Soccer, making him eligible for the2018 MLS SuperDraft.[1] He was an expected first round draft pick.[2][3][4] Bakero was selected byChicago Fire SC with the fifth overall pick in the SuperDraft. Bakero made his professional debut on 14 April 2018 as an 85th minute substitution in a 1–0 loss to the LA Galaxy.
On 20 July 2018, Bakero was traded by Chicago Fire toToronto FC along with $50,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange forNicolas Hasler.[5] He made his TFC debut in their 3–2 loss to NYCFC on 11 August. In 2019, he was loaned toPhoenix Rising FC[6] After the season, he signed a permanent contract with Phoenix Rising.[7]
On 6 January 2022, Bakero joinedBulgarian First League clubSlavia Sofia.[8]
In the summer of 2022, he returned to Spain and joinedPontevedra CF in thePrimera Federación.[9][10] In June 2023, he agreed to terminate his contract with the club by mutual consent.[11]
He then subsequently returned toSlavia Sofia, with hisfather being named head coach.[12] In September 2023, he terminated his contract with the club by mutual consent, shortly after his father was replaced as coach by the club.[13]
In January 2024, he signed withLleida Esportiu in theSegunda Federación.[14]
On 25 July 2024, Bakero signed a short-term deal withUSL Championship sideMemphis 901.[15]
Bakero joinedUSL League One sideCharlotte Independence on 4 February 2025.[16]
Bakero is the son of former professional footballer,José Mari Bakero, who played for theSpain national team,Real Sociedad andFC Barcelona.[17] His aunt isItziar Bakero, a former female professional footballer, and his unclesSantiago andJon Bakero were also footballers.[18]
| Club | Season | League | League Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Tucson | 2016 | Premier Development League | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | |
| Carolina Dynamo | 2017 | Premier Development League | 7 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 5 | ||
| Chicago Fire | 2018 | Major League Soccer | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Tulsa Roughnecks (loan) | 2018 | USL | 3 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 2 | ||
| Toronto FC | 2018 | Major League Soccer | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Toronto FC II (loan) | 2018 | USL | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Phoenix Rising (loan) | 2019 | USL Championship | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 3 | |
| Phoenix Rising | 2020 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| 2021 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 3 | ||||
| Career total | 96 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 17 | ||