Marselino Ferdinan was introduced in Oxford United's 1-3 loss to Exeter City in the 3rd round of the 2024-2025 FA Cup. Although he was only introduced in the last 7 minutes and received a yellow card, Ferdinan's appearance in the Oxford United squad is still a memorable milestone for Indonesian football.
Ferdinan also became the first Indonesian player to play in the world's oldest tournament.
Ferdinan, born in 2004, is one of the most promising talents of Indonesian football. He was named by The Guardian as one of the 60 most promising young talents in the world in 2021.
After leaving Persebaya Surabaya, Ferdinan joined Belgian side Deinze in early 2023, before moving to Oxford United in the summer transfer window of 2024. However, it was not until early 2025 that Ferdinan made his first appearance.
Ferdinan has just joined the Indonesian team to participate in the ASEAN Cup 2024. This decision was influenced by the two most powerful figures of Oxford United, Erick Thohir and Anindya Bakrie. The two Indonesian billionaires currently hold 51% of the shares of the English team.
Despite not having much playing time, being able to play in the FA Cup marked an important milestone in Ferdinan's career as well as raising the value of Indonesian football in the international arena.
