Marselino Ferdinand Officially Joins British Championship Club Oxford United

Marselino Ferdinand joins Oxford United (doc. Special).

JAKARTA - Marselino Ferdinand finally got a new port after his contract with KMSK Deinze, the Challenger Pro League club (the second level of the Belgian league), ended in the summer or June 2024.

Oxford United, a club that has just been promoted to the Championship (second level of the Premier League) this season, is Marselino's new adventure overseas.

"I'm very happy and still can't believe I'm here. Being one of the few Indonesian players competing in England makes me very proud."

"I will not ignore this opportunity. I will give 100 percent. My message to all to continue to support Oxford United and know that I will do my best to compete and represent this club," Marselino said after signing the contract.

Oxford United had a reason for recruiting the 19-year-old player. Marselino is a young star who is on the rise in Asian football.

The former Persebaya Surabaya player will be the first Indonesian-born player to play in the Championship.

Oxford United head coach, Des Buckingham, also agrees with Marselino's abilities.

"Marselino is a very prominent player. There is a lot of news in Asia saying he is one of the best young players growing."

"So, it's a good opportunity to make it a part of us. He's a very attractive striker."

"I am very happy to see how it develops. Marselino is a talent we are looking for. We see he has a real desire to want to develop and take advantage of this opportunity," Buckingham said.

Marselino's career is indeed skyrocketing. He became a young player who was trusted by Shin Tae-yong to fill the main squad of the Indonesian national team.

Before anchoring to Oxford United, he had packed 26 appearances for the Indonesian Squad and three goals.

Last year, he helped Indonesia U-22 win the SEA Games for the first time in 32 years.

Marselino also holds the record as the youngest goalscorer in Indonesia. In 2024, he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Asian Cup finals.

Not only that, the midfielder is a key player for Indonesia U-23 who reached the semifinals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup and brought the Red-White Team to the 2024 Paris Olympics playoffs against Guinea.

Praise for Marselino's slick career also launched from Ed Waldron, Oxford United's Head of Football Operations.

In addition, Waldron is also enthusiastic about seeing Marselino develop better with Oxford United.

"Marselino is a very promising young player. We are eager to see how he develops in our team. The club has close ties to Indonesia, we know Marselino's abilities."

"Although it has not been proven at this level, it is clear that Marselino is very talented with good international experience."

"It would be interesting to see how he adapts to life at Oxford United. We have a good environment at the training center."

"We feel this is the perfect opportunity for Marselino to test his abilities and develop with the experience we have," said Waldron.

Marselino started his career abroad in early 2023 when he joined Deinze. He made his debut in February 2023 as a substitute in the 80th minute.

His first goal with Deinze was scored on April 22, 2023 against Virton in his team's 3-1 win.

Unfortunately, the trip in Belgium was only for a short time. He only received a short contract until the middle of 2024 and was not extended anymore.