Mauro Zijlstra will be a quality addition to the Indonesian team - Photo: PSSI
The President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Mr. Erick Thohir, has confirmed that the naturalization process for Mauro Zijlstra is being completed.
The FC Volendam striker will soon be naturalized and is expected to be part of the Indonesian team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in October.
"There will be a young striker coming soon, that is Mauro. We all know that the national team and the youth team still lack many talented players. So hopefully this addition can strengthen the team in the coming time," said Mr. Erick.
Mauro Zijlstra was born in 2004 in Zaandam, Netherlands. The 20-year-old striker will be naturalized as an Indonesian thanks to his grandmother's Indonesian heritage.
The 1.88m striker plays for Volendam. Last season, Zijlstra exploded, scoring 17 goals and providing 4 assists in 21 appearances for Volendam's youth team.
His impressive form in the youth team earned him a promotion to the first team. Last season, Zijlstra had the opportunity to play 7 times for the Volendam first team.
Zijlstra is expected to bring Indonesia to the 2026 World Cup - Photo: Dok.FC Volendam
Notably, Zijlstra contributed to helping Volendam win the Second Division championship in the 2024-2025 season and gain promotion to the Eredivisie (Dutch National Championship) next season.
He has also just had his contract extended by Volendam until June 2027. With his talent, Zijlstra has many opportunities to become an important part of Volendam's squad in the Eredivisie next season.
In addition, according to CNN Indonesia, the national team is about to welcome 3 more naturalized players, all from the Netherlands.
The fourth qualifying round for Asia will take place from October 8 to 14, with six teams: Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
The 6 teams will be divided into 2 groups, the top team in each group will win the remaining 2 official tickets to the 2026 World Cup. The two second-placed teams in the 2 groups will play a play-off match (2 home and away matches), the winning team will enter the Intercontinental play-off round to compete for a wild card.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/indonesia-don-them-tien-dao-khung-tu-ha-lan-quyet-du-world-cup-20250703123938537.htm
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