Indonesia players among stars to watch at U23 Asian Cup

FIFA listed captain Rizky Ridho as one of four players to watch at the tournament.

"A born leader, 22-year-old Ridho captained the team during the AFC World Cup qualifiers in March and played a crucial role in their back-to-back victories against Vietnam. Both on and off the pitch, he remains an inspiring figure for the team," FIFA wrote.

Ridho was captain of the U23 team that won the gold medal at SEA Games 32. The midfielder is trusted by coach Shin Tae-yong to captain the national team whenever Asnawi Mangkualam is absent.

Rizky Ridho (R) during a game in the 2023 Asian Cup group stage. Photo by AFC

The 2024 U23 Asian Cup is the first time Indonesia have participated, but the team have not hidden their ambition to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Indonesia are confident because the current group of players have played together in many tournaments.

In addition to Ridho, the team have many other faces who regularly play for the full national team, including goalkeeper Ernando Ari, defender Pratama Arhan, and naturalized players Justin Hubner, Nathan Tjoe Aon, Ivar Jenner and Rafael Struick.

In addition, the AFC is most impressed with midfielder Marselino Ferdinan, hailed by Indonesian fans as the biggest football talent of their generation. The 20-year-old plays in Belgium for KMSK Deinze and has played more than 20 matches for the national team. He is also the youngest Indonesian player to score at the 2023 Asian Cup, in a 3-1 loss to Iraq.

"In 2023, Ferdinan led Indonesia to win the SEA Games gold medal for the first time in 32 years," AFC wrote. "This midfielder is expected to continue to make his mark in Asia."

In addition to the two Indonesian players, FIFA and the AFC both lauded Japanese midfielder Kuryu Matsuki, the captain of FC Tokyo. The 20-year-old is considered a comprehensive offensive and defensive midfielder and was chosen as the best young player in Asia in 2022.

Marselino Ferdinan celebrates a goal for Indonesia at the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo by AFC

Two other players worth watching according to FIFA are striker Abdullah Radif of Saudi Arabia and Harib Abdalla of the UAE. Meanwhile, AFC's list includes striker Eom Ji-sung (South Korea), Sultan Adil (UAE), Khusain Norchaev (Uzbekistan), midfielder Ali Jasim (Iraq) and Ahmed Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia).

In the opening game of the U23 Asian Cup, Indonesia lost 2-0 to Qatar. They will play Australia on April 18 and Jordan on the 21st.

The tournament this year in Qatar has 16 teams and is considered an Asian qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The top three teams will go to France and the fourth-placed team will face African team Guinea in a playoff for the remaining slot.