President Erick Thohir says Inter signed Radja Nainggolan because “he’s a complete player”, but also due to his Indonesian heritage.
The midfielder signed from Roma in a €38m deal yesterday, and was officially presented to the media today.
While Nainggolan was born and raised in Belgium, his estranged father Marianus Nainggolan was Indonesian.
“First of all we signed him for his experience,” Thohir, who is himself Indonesian, explained to Topskor.
President Erick Thohir says Inter signed Radja Nainggolan because “he’s a complete player”, but also due to his Indonesian heritage.
The midfielder signed from Roma in a €38m deal yesterday, and was officially presented to the media today.
While Nainggolan was born and raised in Belgium, his estranged father Marianus Nainggolan was Indonesian.
“First of all we signed him for his experience,” Thohir, who is himself Indonesian, explained to Topskor.
“Nainggolan has always made the teams he plays with stronger, so he’ll quickly fit in with his teammates at Inter. We focused on him rather than young players.
“Secondly, Nainggolan has indisputable qualities, he’s a complete player. As soon as we realised Roma had put him on the market, we moved for him.
“Then we all know that Nainggolan has Indonesian blood, so it’s a positive image for Inter in Indonesia. Inter fans in Indonesia are second in number to only those in China.”