BANJARMASIN, Kalimantanpost.com – The Indonesian national team (Timnas) is one step closer to qualifying for the third round of the pre-2026 World Cup Asian Zone. Currently, the Garuda troops are in second place in Group F with 7 points from 4 games and only need one win to go through to the third round.
Ahead of the third round, which was attended by 18 teams, since long ago PSSI and the Indonesian National Team coach, Shin Tae-yong, have continued to improve themselves by adding new strengths, recruiting hereditary players.
The reason is, in the third round the opponents were getting tougher. So far, 8 teams have confirmed that they have qualified, namely Iraq, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia and Japan.
If Indonesia does not add new strength to maintain team depth, it will have difficulty facing World Cup regulars such as Iran, Japan, Australia or Saudi Arabia.
One of the efforts being made by PSSI is currently to naturalize a player of Indonesian descent from Aceh, Calvin Ronald Verdonk.
It was revealed that this 26 year old player would defend the national team after confirming that he was in the process of naturalizing to become an Indonesian citizen (WNI). This was confirmed through an interview on yiutuyyusa process of becoming an Indonesian citizen.
“Strengthening the Indonesian National Team is something I have been thinking about for a long time. If all the processes are complete, we will see when I can play for the Indonesian national team. But now it’s being taken care of,” said Calvin.
Calvin himself in the 2023/2024 season appeared in 27 matches in the highest caste of the Dutch League with NEC Nijmegen and scored two goals.
Calvin has Indonesian blood on his father’s side who comes from Tanjung Meulaboh, West Aceh. He has also strengthened his club Nijmegen in the 2023-2024 KNVB Cup five times.
Calvin Verdonk is a diaspora player who was born in Dordrecht. A native product of Feyenoord’s academy and signed his first professional contract with the club on 24 April 2014 by agreeing to a three-year contract.
He made his Eredivisie debut on 8 March 2015 against Excelsior Rotterdam replacing Lucas Woudenberg after 73 minutes in a 3–0 home win.
On 11 November 2015, he extended his contract until mid-2020.
On 24 May 2016, Calvin was loaned for one season to PEC Zwolle. On 2 August 2017, he was loaned again for one season, this time to NEC Nijmegen.
On 11 September 2020, he joined Famalicão in Portugal on a four-year contract. On 30 August 2021, he returned to NEC on a season-long loan.
Furthermore, July 6 2022, NEC made the transfer permanent by purchasing the rights.
At international level, Verdonk, who is now 26 years old, is a regular for the Dutch national team at all age levels. In 2014, Verdonk was in the spotlight after scoring a beautiful goal at the U-17 European Cup. (ful/KPO-3)
Biofile
Nama: Calvin Ronald Verdonk
Born: Dordrecht, Netherlands
April 26, 1997 (age 26)
Height: 1.74 m
Position: Left back, center back
Tim : NEC Nijmegen
Number : 24
Youth career
- : VV Wieldrecht
- 2005: SC Amstelwijck
- 2005–2015 : Feyenoord
Senior career
- 2015–2020 : Feyenoord played 13 times and scored 1 goal
- 2016–2017 : PEC Zwolle (loan) and played 17 times
17 - 2017–2018: NEC Nijmegen
(loan) played 37 and scored two goals - 2019–2020 : Twente (loan) played 22 times and scored one goal
- 2020–2022: Famalicão (Portugal) bermain 13 kalk
- 2021–2022 : NEC Nijmegen (loan) played 21 times scoring one goal
- 2022 – present : NEC Nijmegen played 44 times scoring two goals
International career
- 2012 : Netherlands U-15 played 3 times
- 2013 : Netherlands U-16 played 5 times
- 2013–2014 : Netherlands U-17 played 13 and scored 4 goals
- 2014 : Netherlands U-18 played once
- 2014–2016 : Netherlands U-19 played 17 times
- 2016 : Netherlands U-20 played 5 times
- 2017 : Netherlands U-21 played 1 time.