Indonesia tried to convince Reijnders to become a citizen but failed.
According to CNN Indonesia, midfielder Reijnders was persuaded by the country's football federation (PSSI) to become naturalized a few years ago, but all efforts were unsuccessful when he decided to choose to play for the Netherlands national team and participate in EURO 2024.
Tijjani Reijnders has rejected all attempts to convince him to become naturalized from Indonesia, in order to stay in Europe and play for the Netherlands.
Photo: Reuters
Reijnders has a Dutch father, former footballer Martin Reijnders, and an Indonesian mother. Therefore, the 27-year-old midfielder is eligible to play for both Indonesia and the Netherlands. He has become the top target of PSSI in the recent naturalization campaign to strengthen the archipelago team.
Unfortunately, many attempts to persuade Reijnders to choose his mother's homeland to play for the team were unsuccessful, CNN Indonesia said, adding that Reijnders chose to develop his career in Europe, and had a big step up when he moved to AC Milan in July 2023, before joining Man City last June with a transfer fee of up to 46.5 million pounds (about 1,655 billion VND).
Reijnders' choice to play in Europe and the Dutch national team, having played 23 times and scored 4 goals, has made Indonesian football extremely regretful. Because if this player were added, the strength of the archipelago team would certainly be doubled. Currently, the Indonesian national team is strongly "Dutchified", from the majority of naturalized players, to the coaching staff and technical director who is also Dutch, Mr. Jordi Cruyff.
The Indonesian team is still on the journey to find a ticket to the 2026 World Cup when participating in the fourth qualifying round of the Asian region, competing in October. PSSI is still racing to naturalize players from the Netherlands, hoping to find a second Reijnders, while preparing to complete the naturalization of up to 4 new players for the goal of getting a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
According to CNN Indonesia, Reijnders' excellence in his debut for Man City and receiving much praise from coach Pep Guardiola, is also a regret for Indonesian football for missing out on an extremely excellent and extraordinary player.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/indonesia-cay-dang-vi-mot-ngoi-sao-cua-man-city-tu-choi-nhap-tich-neu-co-thi-185250817084111921.htm
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