Nathan Tjoe-A-On: Backbone of Indonesian U-23 National Team’s Success

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The name Nathan Tjoe-A-On is widely discussed by Indonesian netizens. Based on the analysis of CNBC Indonesia, on Friday (3/5/2024), Nathan took over the X mobile topic by collecting more than 28,000 tweets.

The attention on Nathan is increasing due to his good performance in the match for third place in the 2024 Asian Cup, which took place on Thursday (2/5) until early morning.

The Indonesian U-23 national team lost with a score of 1-3 against Iraq. Nevertheless, Nathan is believed to be fighting tooth and nail to secure the Garuda Muda team position.

Nathan seemed to aim to prevent the opponent’s attacks, especially when Ernando Ari made a mistake by picking up the ball, but he failed, in the 73rd minute.

Iraqi player Mohad Mohammed used this move to aim the ball into the empty net. However, Nathan moved quickly and stopped the action.

It is not surprising that many people call Nathan the backbone of the Indonesian U-23 national team. In fact, many call him the best Garuda Muda teammate.

Nathan is said to be skilled at playing in midfield. He managed to make sweet passes and helped his team to control the game. Even though the final result was a loss, the efforts of the team coached by coach Shin Tae-yong (STY) deserve a thumbs up.

Nathan himself is of Indonesian descent and was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on December 22, 2021. His grandfather was an Indonesian who came from Semarang, Central Java.

At the age of 22, Nathan has already recorded great achievements. In his junior career, he played for the club VV Nieiwerkerk in 2010-2013. Then he moved to Excelsior in 2013-2019.

Moving on to his senior career, Nathan played at Excelsior in 2019-13. He then moved to Swansea City in 2023, and is now on loan at Dutch club Heerenveen.

In October 2023, Nathan was invited to play with the Indonesian national team through naturalization. He saw and spoke directly with PSSI President Erick Thohir and President Joko Widodo when the Indonesian national team hosted Brunei Darussalam in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier at the GBK Stadium, Jakarta.

He also received a call-up to the Indonesian national team for the 2026 FIFA Cup Qualifying match against Vietnam on March 21 and 26 2024.

(fab/fab)