Naturalized stars help Indonesia team become 6th most expensive in Asia

Dàn sao nhập tịch giúp tuyển Indonesia đắt giá thứ 6 châu Á - Ảnh 1. — Top 10 most expensive teams in Asia - Photo: Transfermarkt

According to the latest update from Transfermarkt, the Indonesian team has made a strong improvement on the squad value rankings.

The "Archipelagic team" has a total value of 36.53 million euros, more than the Australian and Qatar teams; they even rank above Saudi Arabia (7th).

Coach Patrick Kluivert's team is of course the top team in Southeast Asia. Thailand is ranked second with 8.73 million euros. Vietnam is ranked fourth in the region with a value of only 6.08 million euros. Malaysia is ranked third with 7.15 million euros.

The naturalized stars of Dutch origin are the main reason for the Indonesian team's high value. Center back Mees Hilgers, who plays for the Dutch club Twente, is the most expensive player with a valuation of 9 million euros.

Dàn sao nhập tịch giúp tuyển Indonesia đắt giá thứ 6 châu Á - Ảnh 2. — Naturalized stars help Indonesia team increase value dramatically - Photo: Transfermarkt

The player born in 2001 used to play for the Netherlands U21 team for a long time, but in September 2024 he decided to play for the Indonesian national team. Hilgers made his debut for the Southeast Asian representative in a 2-2 draw against Bahrain in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.

Goalkeeper Emil Audero of Serie B club Palermo with a valuation of 5 million euros helps the Indonesian team to have a strong increase when he has just been successfully naturalized. The former Inter Milan goalkeeper is expected to help coach Kluivert's team become more solid.

Copenhagen's central defender Kevin Diks (4.5 million euros) is the third most expensive player in the squad. It is easy to see that the most expensive players of the Indonesian team are all naturalized players and are playing in top European leagues.

Meanwhile, the young star Marselino Ferdinan born in 2004, who is playing for Oxford United in the English First Division, is only valued at a modest 300,000 euros. This clearly shows the difference between the group of naturalized and domestic players in Indonesia.

Indonesia will face Australia and Bahrain on March 20 and March 25 in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. Coach Patrick Kluivert will also be introduced to fans in the match against Australia.