Long ago, the Dutch East Indies was the first Asian country to participate in a World Cup, namely the 1938 World Cup. This colonial legacy is now fueling new ambitions: with players like Thom Haye and Mees Hilgers, Indonesia is aiming for the World Cup again for the first time in almost ninety years. participation.
This story comes from the VI weekly magazine. Look at here what else is in the latest edition!
Thom Haye told Voetbal International at the beginning of this year that he mainly knew Indonesia from the stories of his grandfather and grandmother. As a child, he hardly paid attention to his Indonesian roots. There was little evidence of this in his upbringing and he had only been there once in his entire life: on holiday in Bali. His international career came unexpectedly.
Haye’s story is not an isolated one. Many players who now wear the Indonesian shirt had not thought about an international career on the other side of the world until recently. Haye came through many Dutch youth teams and the same applies to other well-known faces from the Eredivisie in the Indonesian selection. Their names sound so familiar that they evoke immediate recognition.
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