Mario Bilate


Mario Bilate is a Russian-born Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Playing career

XerxesDZB

Bilate broke into the XerxesDZB first team in March 2010 and scored seven goals in the ten games he appeared in. His form was impressive enough to win him a move to Sparta Rotterdam, where he had played earlier as a youth.

Sparta Rotterdam

Bilate joined Sparta Rotterdam in January 2011 on a two and a half year deal. He made his competitive debut on 7 August 2011 in a 1-0 win over Fortuna Sittard. In the summer of 2012 Bilate then signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2015.

Dundee United

Bilate was released from his Sparta Rotterdam contract a year early and signed a two-year contract with Dundee United in July 2014. Bilate had originally been set to join Eerste Divisie champions Willem II but the move fell through at the last minute after the Sparta Rotterdam board decided they wanted a transfer fee. He made his debut as a substitute in Dundee United's opening match of the 2014–15 season, a 3–0 win against Aberdeen on 10 August 2014. He then scored the winning goal on his home debut three days later, in a 1–0 victory over Motherwell, again after coming off the bench. He was released from his contract at Tannadice in November 2015, after making only two appearances in the 2015–16 season.

Career statistics

Personal life

His father Amare is Ethiopian, he met Mario's mother Marina in Moscow, Russia when Amare was enrolled in the Moscow Conservatory to become a conductor and Marina was a student of singing at Gnessin State Musical College. The family moved to the Netherlands when Mario was 1.5 years old.