REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian national coach Patrick Kluivert admitted that he likes pressure. This was conveyed when he mentioned how to deal with the high pressure from Indonesian fans to take Garuda to the 2026 World Cup.
Kluivert came to Indonesia after Shin Tae-yong built the Indonesian national team for five years. Under Shin's tutelage, Indonesia advanced all the way to the third round of 2026 World Cup qualification, inhabiting third place with six points from six games.
With four remaining matches to be played, Indonesia's chances of qualifying for the World Cup directly or through the fourth round are still wide open.
“I'm a pressure loving person,” Kluivert said at his introductory session at Hotel Mulia, Jakarta, Sunday (12/1/2025).
“This is football,” he continued.
When asked what he will be doing in the near future? He said he had no choice but to make a direct impact in the form of victory.
According to him, the remaining four games must be won. In another sense, four games, four finals. “The first part is impact and results,” he said.
Kluivert said his contract with the team was split over two phases over four years. The first phase is for two years to get the Indonesian national team to qualify for the World Cup. The next phase is the strengthening of the national team, including from the U-23 level.
Kluivert is the best Dutch striker to have managed a number of top European clubs such as Ajax Amsterdam, AC Milan, Barcelona, Valencia, Newcastle United, PSV and Lille.
After retiring as a player in 2008 with 206 goals and becoming the fourth all-time scorer in the Dutch national team, the man born in Amsterdam, Netherlands on July 1, 1976, immediately pioneered a career as a coach. He started as an assistant coach at AZ Alkmaar, NEC Nijmegen, Brisbane Roar. He later became the coach of Jong Twente and managed to win the title.
Kluivert was also an assistant coach to Louis van Gaal in the Dutch national team that finished third at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In 2015, Kluivert was appointed head coach of the Curacao national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification.
Other experiences after his retirement include serving as sporting director at Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona's academy, coaching the Ajax A1 (U-19) team as well as being Clarence Seedorf's assistant at the Cameroon national team.
Before moving to Indonesia, he was the coach of Turkish club, Adana Demirspor. In addition, Kluivert has also served as director of FC Barcelona's academy.
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