PSSI is taking necessary steps to make Mauro Zijlstra - a striker born in 2004 in the Netherlands an Indonesian citizen. PSSI Chairman - Mr. Erick Thohir confirmed this information. According to the head of PSSI, the federation has coordinated with relevant agencies to complete the necessary legal documents.
Zijlstra is 1m88 tall and plays as a center forward. He was born in Zaandam (Netherlands), but has Indonesian roots from the family side, so he is eligible to become a citizen of this country.
This player grew up at the AZ Alkmaar youth academy - one of the famous football academies in the Netherlands. He then joined FC Volendam and officially became a first team player in early 2025, marking a turning point in his professional career.
PSSI considers Mauro Zijlstra as one of the important linkages in Indonesia's journey to conquer major tournaments, including the U23 Asian qualifiers, U23 Southeast Asian qualifiers and especially the final qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.
Not only bringing more options in attack, Zijlstra is also considered a symbol of the trend of young Indonesian players wanting to return to contribute to their homeland. PSSI is pursuing a long-term strategy to take advantage of the resources of overseas Vietnamese players playing in Europe and other developed football regions to improve the quality of the squad in the future.
If all goes smoothly, Mauro Zijlstra can soon join the national team and become a new factor for important campaigns of Indonesian football in the coming time.
