Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
International soccer star Radja Nainggolan who returned from retirement failed to save Bhayangkara FC from League 1 relegation.
Radja is a new foreign player recruited by Bhayangkara FC at the end of November 2023 to save the club from the red zone of League 1.
While wearing the Bhayangkara costume, Radja played nine times, eight times as a starter and once as a reserve player. The former Belgian national team player scored one goal and received two yellow cards.
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In nine matches played for a total duration of 731 minutes, Radja experienced three wins, two draws and four defeats.
Radja’s debut with The Guardian squad occurred in the match against Persita which ended in a 3-0 win.
Radja’s only goal was scored when Bhayangkara lost 2-3 to Dewa United in mid-March 2024.
Not only playing, Radja also complained about League 1 regulations which were not strict enough for players who had received a red card so they could still be on the bench.
Bhayangkara was confirmed for relegation from Liga 1 2023/2024 after Persita Tangerang drew with Persik Kediri. With these results, Bhayangkara certainly cannot move from the red zone.
Bhayangkara collected 23 points from 31 matches and is ranked 17th. With three matches remaining, Bhayangkara can only get 32 points.
This number of points can only lead Bhayangkara to rank 16th or remain in the red zone.
When he joined Bhayangkara, Radja did not have a club. The last team that the player of Indonesian descent played for was SPAL, which was relegated from Serie B at the end of the 2022/2023 season.
While actively playing, Radja spent more time in Italy. After joining the Germinal Beerschot youth team, Radja joined Piacenza and received promotion to the club’s first team.
Later, Radja’s career continued playing for Cagliari, AS Roma, Inter Milan, and briefly joined Belgian club Royal Antwerp before playing at SPAL.
[Gambas:Video CNN]
(nva/nva)