Radja Nainggolan It Turns Out That He Has The Desire To Defend The Indonesian National Team

Radja Nainggolan, adam, wants to play for the Indonesian national team (Instagram/@radja_nainggolan_l4).

JAKARTA - Radja Nainggolan apparently has a desire to strengthen the Indonesian national team. He said this when talking on Vertongen Junior's YouTube channel three days ago.

"Of course (want to choose to play with the Indonesian national team). Now, I can say that every day," said Radja Nainggolan, quoted on Thursday, October 30, 2025.

The former Belgian National Team midfielder expressed this desire because he saw great respect while in Indonesia.

He gave an example of how two players of Indonesian descent, Sandy Walsh and Ragnar Oratmangoen, who received high respect from the public after choosing to defend the Indonesian national team.

"Yes, now I say every day (exceeding Indonesia), not because I hate Belgium because I go through all levels of Youth with Belgium."

"If you look at Sandy Walsh, if you look at Ragnar Oratmangoen, in fact, they are ordinary football players. However, those people are highly respected there (Indonesia)."

"Regarding the respect I got in Indonesia, I chose Indonesia 100 percent. Sandy Walsh (formerly) had six thousand or 10 thousand followers, I don't know. He now has three million followers since playing for the Indonesian national team. Oratmangoen is exactly the same."

"They are all (superporters in Indonesia) very kind and very sweet," said Radja Nainggolan.

Radja Nainggolan does have a special place in the hearts of Indonesian football fans. He was one of the most striking Indonesian players to shine in European elite competitions in the 2010s.

The name Nainggolan, which he used as the name of his back, made his figure immediately stick to Indonesia, so his name began to skyrocket in Serie A.

Many Garuda Squad fans who at that time dreamed of seeing the midfielder wearing a Red-White uniform.

However, this hope disappeared. Nainggolan has chosen to defend the Belgian national team from a young age to a senior level.

He was noted to have received a call for Belgium's senior team at the age of 21, which effectively locked his choice and was no longer able to move federations.

His career developed after that. He became an irreplaceable pillar in big clubs, such as AS Roma and Inter Milan. In fact, he was once elected as a member of the Serie A Team of the Year for four consecutive seasons.

Radja Nainggolan is also an important part of the Belgian golden generation, which is inhabited by the world's top stars, such as Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. He was also listed as part of the Belgium squad for Euro 2016.

Even though he never defended the Garuda Squad, Radja Nainggolan in the end still felt the atmosphere of Indonesian football competitions.

At the end of his career, he had joined and played for League 1 club Bhayangkara FC, in the 2023/2024 season.