KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesia's new national team coach Patrick Kluivert had confirmed that he had approached Jairo Riedewald, a former Crystal Palace star who will be naturalized to join the Garuda squad.

Kluivert named Riedewald as a player with Indonesian descent who he had discussed naturalization with. The Dutch coach considered the importance of involving diaspora players to improve the team's quality.

“I do not know if I can talk about this, Mr. Erick. But I have talked to several diaspora players who we can naturalize,” Kluivert said in Jakarta, Sunday as quoted by rri.co.id.

“I do not know if I can say the name, but there is one name that I can say, Jairo Riedewald. I was in talks with him,” he added.

Riedewald was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on September 9, 1996. He plays as a defensive midfielder.

He currently plays for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian League's top tier. The 28-year-old player graduated from the Ajax Amsterdam academy.

Riedewald has a mixed Dutch, Indonesian and Surinamese blood. He has Indonesian descent from his grandmother who comes from Manado, North Sulawesi.

“My father was born and raised in Suriname and my mother is half Indonesian and half Dutch. So, I am a mix of Surinamese, Indonesian and Dutch,” Riedewald said as quoted from Ajax's website.

Jairo even had time to graze in the Premier League by strengthening Crystal Palace in the 2017-2024 season. He recorded two goals in 80 appearances over seven seasons in the Premier League.

In 2024, he decided to continue his career at Royal Antwerp, a club competing in the Belgian League. This move marked a new chapter in Riedewald's European career.

Jairo's naturalization process is not going to be easy. It was because the 182 cm player had strengthened the Dutch senior national team for three matches.

That moment came in the European Cup Qualifiers in 2015. Jairo played the entire 90 minutes as the Netherlands lost 0-3 to Turkey and won 2-1 against Kazakhstan.

He was a substitute when the Netherlands lost 2-3 to the Czech Republic on November 13, 2015. However, FIFA regulations allow Riedewald to change associations and defend Indonesia.

This opens up opportunities for him to strengthen the Garuda squad at international events. Riedewald is expected to gain valuable experience from European competition and make the Indonesian national team stronger.***