Football
Gabriel Tan 2y

Where are they now: Indonesia's 2016 underdogs that restored hope to a nation

Despite having never won an AFF Suzuki Cup, Indonesia boast a rich history in Southeast Asia's premier football competition and have actually reached the final on five occasions without ever going all the way.

The Indonesians were beaten finalists in three consecutive editions between 2000 and 2004 and claimed a fourth runners-up berth in 2010, but were soon plagued by off-field issues.

The rising stars to keep a close eye on at AFF Suzuki Cup 2020
- Where are they now: Thailand's golden generation of 2014
Don't miss The John Dykes Show, with all new episodes each Friday starting Dec. 3 on Disney+ Hotstar. Click here to join the conversation!

A breakaway league caused a divide in the Indonesian football ecosystem before they were slapped with an international ban by FIFA for government interference.

With the ban lifted just before the 2016 Suzuki Cup, few gave Indonesia a chance to go far but they would eke their way out of the group stage and see off Vietnam in the semifinals before narrowly losing to a strong Thailand outfit 3-2 on aggregate in the decider.

Five years on, we look back at some of the main men from the team that restored hope to Indonesian football.

Hansamu Yama

Only 21 at the time, Hansamu Yama did not initially begin the campaign as part of Indonesia's starting XI but would eventually force his way into the reckoning by the end of the campaign, even scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 triumph over Thailand in the final first leg.

Even then, Hansamu exuded maturity beyond his years and although he has dropped out of national team contention in recent times, he remains one of the Indonesian Liga 1's leading centre-backs and is currently playing for title challengers Bhayangkara.

Rudolof Basna

Having only won his first cap in September of that year, just a couple of months before the Suzuki Cup, Rudolof Basna showed no signs of being overawed by the occasion and his steady displays belied his relative inexperience.

Basna, who has spent the last four years in the Thai League 1 with Khon Kaen, Sukhothai and now PT Prachuap, has all the attributes necessary to continue being a key player for Merah Putih but his recent involvement has been stymied by injuries.

Stefano Lilipaly

Having made the decision to represent his father's country of birth after previously featuring for Netherlands at youth level, Stefano Lilipaly was one of the stars of the 2016 edition.

The highlight of his campaign was arguably his 85th-minute winner against Singapore that sent his side through to the semifinals, and the ex-Utrecht man remains on the books of Bali United -- the club he first joined when he moved to Indonesia.

Evan Dimas

From the time he featured at the 2014 Suzuki Cup as a 21-year-old, Evan Dimas was tipped to be the future of Indonesian football so it is perhaps no surprise that he will be captaining his national team for the upcoming tournament.

Apart from a year-long stint in the Malaysia Super League with Selangor, Evan has spent the entirety of his career in his homeland and was part of the Bhayangkara side that were champions of the inaugural Liga 1 season in 2017.

Boaz Solossa

Having first featured in the Suzuki Cup as part of the side that finished runners-up in 2004, Boaz Solossa was a veteran by the time he captained them 12 years later but was still only 30.

His experience would provide a major influence on a youthful team and he would finish the campaign as Indonesia's top scorer with three goals. Now 35, Boaz is yet to hang up his boots and can currently be found playing for Borneo.

Andik Vermansyah

A flying winger who would give opposition fullbacks absolute nightmares, Andik Vermansyah was one of Southeast Asian football's most-exciting players at his peak.

Andik was already playing in Malaysia with Selangor when he starred at the 2016 Suzuki Cup and then went on join Kedah Darul Aman before returning to Liga 1, although he has not appeared on the international stage since 2019 despite just turning 30 in November.

Rizky Pora

While the likes of Evan, Boaz and Andik were already relatively well known in the region before the 2016 Suzuki Cup, Rizky Pora really came to the fore with a series of electric displays.

Causing as much havoc down the left as Andik was doing on the opposite wing, Rizky's only goal of the campaign would come in the final first-leg win over Thailand. Equally capable of playing at left-back, the 32-year-old has stayed loyal to Barito Putera, having been at the club since 2013.

Alfred Riedl

No stranger to Southeast Asian football, Alfred Riedl's time in charge of Indonesia in 2016 was his third spell with the team, while he also previously led Vietnam on three different occasions and had separate stints with Laos as coach and then technical director.

Riedl would remain a well-respected figure in the region and his death last September from cancer would see many footballing figures and fans pay tribute to him.

^ Back to Top ^