Striker Marko Simic played for Binh Duong, Dong Thap and Long An from 2015 to 2016. From 2018 to present, the striker born in 1988 moved to play for Persija Jakarta in Indonesia.
In Indonesia, Simic has emerged as a scoring machine. In his first season, he scored 26 goals/37 matches. By the second season, the former Croatia U21 striker had played 38 matches and scored 29 goals. Simic's excellent form helped Persija Jakarta win the national championship and the Indonesian President's Cup.
In an interview with Jutarnji (Croatia), the former V.League striker admitted that he wanted to be naturalized to play for the Indonesian team. He said: "I can soon get an Indonesian passport and play for the national team. If that becomes a reality, I can play for many clubs because I am Asian and bring my family more money.
Marko Simic said he loves Jakarta very much, considering this his second hometown. He once donated more than 100 million rupiah to the COVID-19 prevention fund. The 32-year-old striker hopes to end his career at the Indonesian team.
In recent years, the Indonesian team has enjoyed naturalizing players, especially in the forward line such as Beto Goncalves (40 years old), Greg Nwokolo (34 years old)... However, they are all old and in general have not helped the Indonesian team create any significant rebound.
Marko Simic is younger but also 32 years old. The Indonesian government may have to consider naturalizing this former V.League striker. Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong himself is not interested in using naturalized players. He likes to give opportunities to young, potential factors. One of them is Osvaldo Haay - the player who scored the most goals at the 2019 SEA Games, along with Duc Chinh of U22 Vietnam, who scored 8 goals.
