Elkan William Tio Baggott[3] was born on 23 October 2002[4] in Bangkok, Thailand, to an Indonesian mother and an English father.[5]
He learned to play football at the Soccer Schools International (SSI), Jakarta. The organisation was primarily funded by Arsenal Football Club and run by Max Belli, who quickly realised Baggott's football potential. Baggott attended the British International School (now British School Jakarta) during his time in Jakarta and was appointed as captain for his school football squad. His family eventually decided to settle in England in 2011.[6]
Club career
Ipswich Town
Having joined Ipswich Town on a two-year scholarship in 2019,[7] Baggott made his senior debut for the club on 6 October 2020, in a 2–0 victory over Gillingham in the EFL Trophy.[6] On 28 January 2021, Baggott penned his first professional contract with Ipswich, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the option of an additional year's extension.[8]
On 16 April 2022, he became the first Indonesian player to play in an English professional league when he appeared for Ipswich Town in an EFL League One match against Rotherham United.[9] Baggott signed a new three-year deal with the club in June 2022.[10]
On 1 November 2023, Baggott scored his first goal for the Blues against Fulham in a 1–3 defeat in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, making him the first Indonesian to score a goal in the competition.[11]
King's Lynn Town (loan)
On 22 March 2021, Baggott joined National League side King's Lynn Town on a youth loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[12][13] He made his debut for the club on 23 March 2021, playing 90 minutes in a 3–0 loss to Altrincham.[14]
Gillingham (loan)
On 8 July 2022, Baggott joined League Two club Gillingham on a season-long loan deal.[15] He made his league debut for the club on 30 July 2022 in a 2–0 away loss to AFC Wimbledon.[16] On 15 October 2022, Baggott scored his first goal for Gillingham against Stevenage.[17] He was the first Indonesian player to score in English football. Baggott scored another goal the next week against Barrow.
Cheltenham Town (loan)
In January 2023, Baggott was recalled from his loan at Gillingham and joined League One club Cheltenham Town on loan until the end of the season.[18] Baggott only played one game for the club against Barnsley on 18 February 2023.
Bristol Rovers (loan)
On 1 February 2024, Baggott joined League One club Bristol Rovers on loan for the remainder of the season.[19] On 4 February 2024, Baggott made his debut, subbed-on in stoppage time, in a 1–0 win against Exeter City.
On 13 April 2024, Baggott scored his first goal for the club against his former club Cheltenham Town in a 3–1 win,[20] capping off a performance that earned him a place in the League One and overall EFL Teams of the Week.[21] Despite having had a difficult start to his loan spell, he continued to turn his form around, impressing manager Matt Taylor with both his mobility and physicality.[22]
Blackpool (loan)
On 5 August 2024, Baggott joined League One side Blackpool on a season-long loan deal.[23] Baggott made his debut for the club on 13 August 2024, in the first round of EFL Cup against Burton Albion in a 4–0 win.[24]
International career
Even though he was born in Thailand into a mixed English and Indonesian family, he decided to represent Indonesia at the international level.[25]
On 22 October 2021, the Chief of PSSI, Mochamad Iriawan, stated that Baggott had refused to play for Indonesia after rejecting multiple call-ups.[29] Baggott immediately sent a letter to PSSI explaining his absence and his willingness to accept the next call-up, citing the fact that the COVID-19 situation in the United Kingdom and Indonesia have been much better. Iriawan openly accepted his explanation three days later.[30][31]
On 16 November 2021, he made his debut for the senior team in a friendly match against Afghanistan. He played for 68 minutes and was substituted by Victor Igbonefo due to a concussion head injury, which resulted in a Football Association mandatory 14 day 'no footballing activity' recuperation period. Baggott was cleared to play again on 2 December 2021, after a neurological MRI scan concluded no lasting damage.[32] On 12 December 2021, Baggott made his senior team competitive debut against Laos in the AFF Suzuki Cup, played in Singapore, in which Indonesia won the match 5–1.[33] He scored his first goal for the national team on 19 December 2021, netting a header for the last goal of a 4–1 win against Malaysia.[34]
Baggott again represented the senior national team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round competition in Kuwait from 8 to 14 June. Baggott played in all 3 matches against Kuwait, Jordan, and Nepal. Baggott helped Indonesia secure qualification for the Asian Cup that took place in January 2024. Baggott scored his second international goal in the 7–0 win over Nepal.[35]
Baggott was named in the provisional Indonesia squad for the 2022 AFF Championship but chose instead to stay with Gillingham during the busy December–January period of fixtures and with the Kent side bottom of League Two at the time of his call up.[36]
Baggott was once again called up for the Indonesia squad for two friendlies against Burundi on 25 and 28 March 2023.[37]
On 27 May 2023, Baggott received a call-up for the friendly matches against Palestine and Argentina.[38] He started both matches and played the full game.[39][40]
In January 2024, Baggott was named in the final squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup tournament in Qatar.[42] He featured twice in the group-stage phase as they qualified as one of the four best third-placed teams. He played the full ninety minutes as Indonesia were defeated 4–0 by Australia. Baggott himself opened the scoring for the opposition with an own goal after twelve minutes.[43]
