Mark Flekken (born 13 June 1993) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club SC Freiburg and the Netherlands national team. Flekken grew up in Bocholtz, Limburg, Netherlands on the German border. He comes from a footballing family: his parents René and Annie used to play football themselves, and his younger brother Roy also became a goalkeeper.

Flekken was called up to the senior Netherlands national team squad for the 2022 World Cup qualification matches against Montenegro and Norway on 13 and 16 November 2021, respectively. He  made his international debut for the Netherlands on 26 March 2022 in a friendly match against Denmark as a starter.

He started his professional career in 2012 in Alemannia Aachen. Since then he has played for the following teams: 2012–2013 Alemannia Aachen 15 (0), 2013–2016 Greuther Fürth 25 (0), 2013–2016 Greuther Fürth II 3 (0), 2016–2018 MSV Duisburg 68 (1), 2018– SC Freiburg 54 (0), 2021 SC Freiburg II.

Flekken, talked about many interesting topics exclusively to Manos Staramopoulos. For the second match against Olympiakos, which he considers extremely difficult, regardless of what happened to Georgios Karaiskakis. For the Bundesliga. For the world championship to be held in Qatar, for the Golden Ball that sees Benzema as the undisputed favorite and much more ...

DF: This year you have made an impressive start, as Freiburg are in 3rd place in the standings. What is your goal in the Bundesliga, how far can you go?

R/: We are very happy with the start. But the truth is that we had a lot of tight games in which we scored. With two wins less, things wouldn't look so good anymore. So we know that the situation can be assessed very well. In principle, we want to set the course for staying up in the Bundesliga as early as possible. We'll see everything else then.

DF: Since Freiburg certainly does not have the financial surface of Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund what is the secret of your successes?

R/: The club has built a new stadium, which has been very well received by the fans and has opened up other economic opportunities for the club. The development of the past few years is good, the structure of the team is also very stable in terms of sport. Of course, the two clubs mentioned play in a different league economically. A lot has to come together for neighborly feelings to arise in the table between Bayern, Dortmund and Freiburg.

DF: In the UEFA Europa League we saw a wonderful team prevail in Greece with 3-0 of last year's champion Olympiakos. Where are you aiming for this event?

R/: We'll see a different Olympiakos in the second leg, I'm very sure of that. We're looking forward to these European Cup evenings in front of a sold-out stadium against well-known opponents. We want to enjoy that.

DF: In the Bundesliga, do you think Bayern is the first favorite again, or can we have surprises in the near future?

R/: Surprises would do the Bundesliga good. The current table picture with Union Berlin or us is a nice change. Of course, it's difficult to hold your ground against Bayern's great quality over the course and I'm curious to see whether teams will be able to hold on until the 34th matchday.

DF: Will the fact that the season is different this year affect the clubs and for that matter the footballers?

R/: The implications for national players are that they have even more games and even fewer breaks. We try to compensate for this with a forward-looking load control in training. On the other hand, there is nothing better than being able to play football at this level. I am happy to accept that I will have less free time this year.

DF: In November we have for the first time the final phase of the world cup in small but beautiful Qatar. Which teams do you see as favourites?

R/: That question is not so easy to answer this year. Personally, I'm counting on Argentina. In Europe, France is the strongest team for me. When Germany gets rolling, the team can be expected at every tournament. And we Dutch definitely have the quality to have a say. Always provided that the teams are Covid-free. That can change everything.

DF: Which football player do you think should receive the Ballon d'Or, the greatest and noblest prize in the world this year?

R/: Definitely Karim Benzema. He made Madrid champions. His development at this age is impressive.

DF: Let's go to the top trophy, the UEFA Champions League. Which teams do you consider as favourites?

R/: I have no idea, I play Europa League (laughs). Manchester City with Erling has a brutal quality. If the team is right, City will go very far.