Radinio Balker, a 27-year-old center back currently at Huddersfield, is close to joining Maccabi Haifa for about 300,000 euros. Born in the Netherlands and a Suriname international, he has built a reputation as a resilient defender after overcoming serious injuries, and the Israeli club see him as a potential replacement for Abdoulaye Seck.
Balker came through Almere City, where he first played as a left and right back. His progress was interrupted by recurring injuries, but Groningen still bet on his attacking upside and brought him up to the Dutch top flight. On just his third day of training there, he tore his ACL. He later said, “I hoped it would look different, but I will do everything to come back stronger.” He spent a year sidelined before returning to Groningen’s lineup in summer 2022 as a center back, helping stabilize a team that was relegated. Dutch outlet Dagblad van het Noorden said, “We did not know if he would return to the level expected before the injury, but he rose above it and became a starter.”
He later left for Huddersfield in January for 1.3 million euros, describing English football as “the dream of every player.” The move did not go smoothly, as he was injured again, Huddersfield were relegated from the Championship, and he then missed more time with an ankle problem. In 2024/25 he made 10 starts as the team finished ninth in League One, and in the following season he was fit enough to start 29 matches, including 13 straight full games over two months.
Maccabi Haifa view him as a ball-playing, tall, long-legged defender who can use both feet, pass long accurately, press forward, and help in set pieces. His defensive numbers are solid, including 70% success in ground duels and 60% in aerial duels, plus about five clearances per game. The concern is his injury history and the fact that he has never played for a top club, so Haifa and its new medical staff are expected to ease him in gradually, especially with the season opening in the Toto Cup rather than in Europe.
