Meet Kevin Diks: The New Member of Indonesian National Football Team

TIMESINDONESIA, JAKARTA – The Indonesian national football team continues to make improvements. This time, Kevin Diks, a central defender from FC Copenhagen, officially joined the Garuda squad on Saturday (12/10/2024).

Shortly after the arrivals of Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders, Erick Thohir, the chairman of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), once again brought smiles to the faces of Garuda fans. He brought  agood news and announced Kevin Diks’ inclusion in the national team through his personal Instagram account, @ericktohir.

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“Lunch with a player from FC Copenhagen who has Indonesian heritage, and of course, a handshake. Welcome to the Indonesian national team, @kevindiks2,” he wrote.

Erick Thohir also mentioned that he had discussed various things, including the Indonesian national team. Surprisingly, Kevin Diks showed great interest in the Indonesian team, especially during the match against Bahrain.

Like Indonesian fans, Diks felt the tension while watching the game. They both has watched several of Indonesian National team game againts local and foreign teams just for a head view. “His nationalism is unquestionable,” Erick added.

Kevin Diks previously held Dutch citizenship and played for the Netherlands’ youth teams, including U-19, U-20, and U-21 squads. He currently plays as a central defender for FC Copenhagen, a team competing in Denmark’s top-tier league.

With FC Copenhagen, this 28 year old guy has won two consecutive Danish Champion titles in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons. He also won the Danish Cup in the 2022/2023 season. Looking back, he previously claimed the Dutch Cup Winner title with Vitesse Arnhem in the 2016/2017 season.

While playing for Feyenoord Rotterdam, he secured two titles: Dutch Cup Winner in the 2017/2018 season and Dutch Super Cup Winner in 2018.

Kevin Diks was born on October 6, 1996, in Apeldoorn, a municipality in the Gelderland province of the Netherlands. Standing at 186 cm, he is taller than the average Indonesian player. According to Transfermarkt, his market value is around IDR 69.53 billion.

What more surprising, in terms of lineage, he has Maluku heritage from his mother, Natasja Diks-Bakarbessy, whose family name is Bakarbessy.

In an interview with the Dutch media outlet De Stentor, Kevin’s mother expressed her support for her son’s passion. “You have to give up certain things to reach higher. The whole family has to follow along. Since our son wants it, we, as parents, support him. Luckily, everyone in our family loves sports,” she said.

His decision to join the Indonesian national football team marks an important milestone for both the player and Indonesia’s football ambitions. Diks, who has built a solid career in European football, most notably in the UEFA Champions League with FC Copenhagen, brings a wealth of experience to the Indonesian squad.

Kevin Diks addition is part of the broader strategy by Indonesia's football federation (PSSI) to strengthen the national team through the naturalization of high-caliber international players, aiming to boost performance in crucial competitions such as the World Cup qualifiers.

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