Big step back for Indonesian naturalized stars

Most recently, Indonesian winger Tjoe-A-On of Dutch descent has chosen to join Boldklub in Denmark. This team currently plays in the first division, which is only the second tier in the Nordic country's football system.

Tjoe-A-On's decision shows that this highly rated midfielder has completely lost hope of playing in Europe's top football environment.

Two years ago, Tjoe-A-On was signed by Swansea - a team in the English First Division. He was then loaned to Heerenveen - a team playing in the Dutch Championship. But wherever he was, the number of appearances Tjoe-A-On made could be counted on one hand.

This summer, the 23-year-old midfielder's contract with Swansea officially ended. And he has been unemployed for the past month. In the end, Tjoe-A-On chose to join Lyngby Boldklub - an average team in the lower division of Denmark.

Boldklub’s annual wage bill is less than €3m. And the club’s highest-paid player earns around €150,000 a year – the same as Tjoe-A-On’s salary as a youngster at Swansea.

Before Tjoe-A-On, two defenders Pattynama and Jordi Amat also found their destinations. At the age of 33, Amat agreed to leave JDT of Malaysia to move to Persija Jakarta in his home country of Indonesia. Meanwhile, Pattynama left Belgium to play football in Thailand.

Both accepted to step back. For Amat, Persija Jakarta Club is only at the average level of Indonesia, cannot be compared with JDT - famous as the strongest team in Malaysia.

As for Pattynama, he once played in the Belgian Championship when playing for Eupen. At the age of 26, this defender could not stay in European football, and accepted to go to Buriram in Thailand.

Meanwhile, Justin Hubner, Thom Haye and Rafael Struick have not found a new destination. Compared to the above-mentioned players, these three players are rated higher. Therefore, they are all trying to find famous teams in Europe.

As for Haye, he is 30 years old this year, always having a starting position when playing for a decent club in the Netherlands. But because of his old age, Haye has more or less difficulty finding a classy club with a high salary.

Hubner (21) and Struick (22) have the advantage of youth, but are not as highly regarded as Haye. Even if they manage to stay in Europe, they will most likely only sign contracts with clubs in the lower leagues.

Indonesian media is currently very interested in the status of these naturalized stars, as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are approaching. The above players need to find a suitable place to practice and play regularly, in order to maintain their form for Indonesia's crucial series of matches.