Star who refused to join Indonesia shines brightly at Euro 2024

(Dan Tri) - Tijjani Reijnders received an invitation from the Indonesian Football Federation in 2022. Two years later, he became a bright star at Euro 2024.

Tijjani Reijnders could have been a rival of the Vietnamese team if he had accepted an invitation from the Indonesian Football Federation in 2022. However, the midfielder born in 1998 refused the team from the archipelago country to aim for a higher goal, the Dutch team.

Tijjani Reijnders once rejected the Indonesian national team to play for the Netherlands (Photo: Getty).

Finally, Tijjani Reijnders has fulfilled his dream, wearing the orange shirt to fight at Euro 2024. This is the first major tournament in the career of the player under AC Milan. In the match against Poland, Tijjani Reijnders was arranged by coach Koeman to play in the role of number 10. This player has successfully completed the task of connecting the midfield and attack. Statistics show that the AC Milan star has launched 51 passes with an accuracy rate of 91%. In addition, Tijjani Reijnders also had two dangerous opportunities that could have been converted into goals. In the 9th minute, this midfielder rushed down to threaten the Polish goal, but unfortunately his final shot went just wide of the post. At the end of the first half, the player of Indonesian origin once again launched a dangerous shot but the ball missed the goal. Tijjani Reijnders possesses speed and dexterity. That makes him a potential "weapon" for the Netherlands. The only thing missing from Tijjani Reijnders in the match against Poland is a goal.

Tijjani Reijnders was outstanding in the match against Poland (Photo: Getty).

Tijjani Reijnders was born in Zwolle (Netherlands) into a family with a football tradition. His father, Martin Reijnders, is a professional player. His mother, Angelina Lekatompessy, is of Indonesian descent. Tijjani Reijnders' talent blossomed quite early in Zwolle's youth academy. In 2017 (at the age of 19), he was promoted to Zwolle's first team. A year later, the midfielder moved to AZ Alkmaar. Here, Tijjani Reijnders' talent blossomed. In 2013, he was recruited by AC Milan with a 5-year contract. To date, Tijjani Reijnders has played 9 matches for the Netherlands national team and scored a goal in a friendly match against Scotland in March. In February 2022, coach Shin Tae Yong directly called to persuade Tijjani Reijnders to return to play for the Indonesian national team. However, he was not interested in this offer and only wanted to play for the Dutch national team. In September 2023, Tijjani Reijnders made his debut for the Netherlands national team in a match against Greece in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, ending the hopes of the Indonesian national team. However, the 25-year-old midfielder still has feelings for his motherland team. Tijjani Reijnders once went on social media to encourage the Indonesian national team before the match against the Vietnamese national team in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. That helped him win the hearts of Indonesian fans.

The Netherlands has another player of Indonesian origin. The Netherlands squad for Euro 2024 also has another player of Indonesian origin, Ian Maatsen. The left-back born in 2002 was loaned to Dortmund by Chelsea last season. He helped Dortmund reach the Champions League final.

Ian Maatsen is another Indonesian-origin player in the Netherlands team competing at Euro 2024 (Photo: Getty).

Ian Maatsen was initially left out of the Euro 2024 squad but was later called up as a replacement when Frankie De Jong and Teun Koopmeiners missed the tournament due to injury.

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/ngoi-sao-tu-choi-tuyen-indonesia-toa-sang-ruc-ro-o-euro-2024-20240617114043847.htm