Officially Training The Indonesian National Team, Patrick Kluiver Leaks His Favorite Local Player: Marselino Ferdinand

Denny Landzaat, Erick Thohir and Patrick Kluivert during their introduction to the media. (photo: ulfa/voi.id)

JAKARTA - Patrick Kluivert has officially been introduced by PSSI as the new coach of the Indonesian national team until 2027. Although he has just joined, this Dutch coach apparently already has a favorite player in the team, namely Marselino Ferdinand.

Patrick Kluivert's introduction agenda as the new coach of the Indonesian national team was held at the Mulia Hotel, Central Jakarta on Sunday, January 12 afternoon WIB.

After having time to talk about how it seems to be part of the Garuda Squad, Patrick also received questions about his favorite players in the Indonesian national team.

The 48-year-old coach said that the local player who stole his attention was Maselino Ferdinand. However, he also said that Marselino was not the only talented local player he admired.

The local player I like is Marselino Ferdinand. But he's not the only name that stole the show," Patrik Kluivert said in his statement.

Kluiver also mentioned the importance of the presence of local players for the Indonesian national team framework that he will handle. "I need to see (the presence of) local players, because they are the heart of the Indonesian national team," he said.

"But other players are equally important, if local players are the heart and soul of the national team, then other players are complements such as perfect hands and feet," continued the coach.

Despite the impression that Kluivert revealed about local players who stole his attention, the coach will face a tough challenge at the start of his career.

Kluivert will immediately escort the team to continue the struggle in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. The first match to be faced is a visit to Australia headquarters on March 20 and continued by hosting Bahrain in Jakarta on March 25.