With Willem II, Nathan Tjoe-a-on is going to the Eredivisie this season this season. In the Netherlands, the 23-year-old left back is not yet such a well-known name, but in Indonesia the twelve-time international is a superstar. “It’s bizarre what we are experiencing there, people really look up to us.”
To indicate how popular the defender is, we grab his Instagram account. 2.8 million people follow Tjoe-a-on, while his employer Willem II has 105,000 followers. “Sometimes I do not realize that there is really people behind that number of 2.8 million. Indonesia is a very large country, then the numbers may not be too bad. In any case, it is a completely different world when you get there. On television and via social media you can get a picture of the atmosphere and the madness, but the awareness is only when you have really experienced it.”
Waiting for privacy settings …
During matches of the national team, the stadium is filled with tens of thousands of football fans. “In the lobby of the hotel alone, there are two hundred to three hundred people trying to see the players every day. They see the internationals as superstars.”
The defender hopes to write history with Indonesia. The team of national coach Patrick Kluivert will decide with Saudi Arabia and Iraq next week who is going to the World Cup. Indonesia has never been able to qualify for that. “It’s very different in Asia than in Europe. I think we can make it very difficult for many countries. We are ready and go for a World Cup ticket.”
Read also
The born Rotterdammer is well in place at Willem II. On Monday evening against Helmond Sport (1-0 win) he was again in the base under trainer John Stegeman. The last two seasons, the wing defender did not play much at Swansea City from Wales and during a rental period at SC Heerenveen. “It has been a long time since I played so many games in succession. I am getting fitter and I notice that I can now deliver more offensive.”
“I learned from it in many areas.”
Also outside the field is the left leg of value for his club. “My foreign adventure did not go as I expected. I did learn in many areas, as a football player and as a human. I know what it’s like to be in another country as a player. That’s why I try to help our foreign players where I can.”
Read also
He is not yet completely satisfied with his own game and that of Willem II. The bar is high with the ambitious defender. “We had to get used to each other, things are getting better and better. We play good football, but it is still going with ups and downs. The most important thing is that we win and that we are now fourth in the ranking. We are playing for promotion, because this club belongs to the Eredivisie at home.”
An international match of Indonesia in the battle for a World Cup ticket.
Waiting for privacy settings …