Exodus of Sharp Strikers from ASEAN League in League 1 2025-2026, Local Strikers Find it Increasingly Difficult to Compete

For future footballers in Indonesia, it is advisable not to dream of becoming strikers anymore. The transfer market ahead of the 2025-2026 Liga 1 Indonesia increasingly proves that the best clubs in the country have more faith in foreign players than in local talents.

Four debut foreign strikers are set to enliven the highest tier competition in Indonesia, which is scheduled to take place starting in mid-August. They arrive in Indonesia with serious credentials. This is because all four players hold the title of "golden boot" contenders in the previous competition.

The four foreign strikers consist of two players from the Cambodian League and two others representing teams in the Singapore League for the 2024-2025 season. The two new forwards from the Cambodian League are Andres Nieto, who was recruited by the promoted team, Bhayangkara Presisi FC, and Ramon Tanque, who is the new hope for the two-time consecutive champions of Indonesia, Persib Bandung.

Nieto landed in Indonesia with an impressive status. He earned the golden boot, or the title of top scorer of the Cambodian League 2024-2025, thanks to a total of 21 goals.

His second season with Phnom Penh Crown marks the best record in his professional career. In the 2023-2024 edition of the competition, Nieto, who holds a Cambodian passport and was born in Colombia, scored 12 goals for Phnom Penh.

Although positioned as a left winger, Nieto has proven to be sharp in performance. The 29-year-old has recorded 46 goals and 14 assists in 88 matches representing Phnom Penh since the 2020-2021 season.

Meanwhile, Persib relies on Tanque, a striker from Brazil, to be the attacking force and a new source of goals. Following the departure of two main goal scorers in the last two seasons, namely David da Silva and Tyronne del Pino, "Maung Bandung" needs a new number nine player.

Hope has emerged for Tanque, who scored 21 goals for Visakha in the Cambodian League 2024-2025. Tanque was also awarded the golden boot of the Cambodian League 2024-2025 alongside Nieto. Undoubtedly, the competition between the two Latin American players will continue in Liga 1 Indonesia.

The recruitment of Tanque was carried out by the management of Persib based on the recommendation of Coach Bojan Hodak. Tanque's background as a sharp striker and his age of 26 align with Maung Bandung's ambition to regenerate the squad this season.

"We hope Tanque can quickly adapt because Persib wants to hit the ground running in Liga 1 and the AFC Champions League," said Deputy CEO of PT Persib Bandung Bermartabat Adhitia Putra Herawan as reported on the club's website.

Not only the sharpest bomber from Cambodia has moved their competitive arena to Indonesia. Two out of three players who recorded double-digit goals and assists in the 2024-2025 Singapore League have also migrated to Indonesia.

They are Kodai Tanaka, who was signed by Persis Solo, and Stjepan Plazonja, who was recruited by Bhayangkara Presisi. In the last season, both recorded more than 10 goals and assists for their respective teams. One player who recorded a similar achievement is the winger of Lion City Sailors, Maxime Lestienne.

Tanaka scored 24 goals and provided 15 assists for Balestier Khalsa in the 2024-2025 Singapore League. The impressive performance of the Japanese striker led the new coach of Persis, Peter de Roo, to recruit him. Previously, Tanaka and De Roo had worked together during the last season at Balestier.

Before playing for Balestier, Tanaka also scored 33 goals for Albirex Niigata in the 2021-2022 Singapore League.

"I have 100 percent confidence in Peter (de Roo). I am happy to be able to work with him again. I am determined to score as many goals as possible in front of Persis supporters," said Tanaka, who is 25 years old, in a press statement.

Meanwhile, Bhayangkara is not satisfied with just bringing in Nieto. "The Guardians" have also recruited Plazonja, thanks to his contribution of 14 goals and 10 assists for Hougang United in the 2024-2025 Singapore League. The goal contributions of the Croatian winger account for 39 percent of Hougang's total goals last season.

Based on the impressive performance of the two new forwards, Nieto and Plazonja, the attacking line of Bhayangkara Presisi should be a concern for every opponent in the 2024-2025 Liga 1 Indonesia. If not cautious, the sharpness of Nieto and Plazonja could create a nightmare for the 17 rivals of Bhayangkara.

Four debut players from the ASEAN League have a significant chance to heat up the competition for the top scorer of Liga 1. The trend of foreign strikers winning the golden boot of Indonesia's top-tier competition since 2014 is likely to continue.

On the other hand, Indonesia's best current forward, Ramadhan Sananta, has decided to join DPMM, which will compete again in the Malaysian Super League 2025-2026. Sananta has become a mainstay for the club owned by the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah.

The hopes of Indonesian players to enliven the top scorer race in the upcoming Liga 1 still rest on the shoulders of Egy Maulana Vikri and Yakob Sayuri. Egy scored 11 goals for Dewa United, while Yakob contributed nine goals for Malut United in the last season.

As of early July, there has been a significant increase in the exodus of foreign players from Southeast Asian leagues during the transfer market for Liga 1 ahead of the 2025-2026 season. Nine players have already been recruited by six clubs from leagues in the Southeast Asian region.

The quantity of players from the ASEAN League has significantly increased from six players in the 2024-2025 season. If three Indonesian players returning home are added, namely Jordi Amat (from Johor Daru’ Ta’zim to Persija Jakarta), Ronaldo Kwateh (from Muangthong United to Semen Padang), and Saddil Ramdani (from Sabah to Persib), then there will be a total of 12 players recruited from the ASEAN competition.

In the era of Liga 1, which began in 2017, the record for the highest number of player transfers from Southeast Asian clubs occurred in the 2023-2024 season. At that time, a total of 19 players were brought in by Indonesian clubs from neighboring countries.

It is evident that the appeal of Liga 1 has grown significantly for foreign players. They are no longer hesitant to continue their careers in Indonesia. This reality certainly poses a challenge for local players to prove that their quality is on par with imported footballers.

Cassio Scheid (Da Nang/Vietnam)

Andres Nieto (Phnom Penh/Cambodia)

Stjepan Plazonja (Hougang United/Singapore)

Kodai Tanaka (Balestier Khalsa/Singapore)

Telmo Castanheira (Sabah/Malaysia)

Julio Cesar (Chiangrai United/Thailand)

Luciano Guaycochea (Perak FC/Malaysia)

Ramon Tanque (Visakha/Cambodia)

Lucas Dias (Uthai Thani/Thailand)

Jordi Amat (Johor Darul Ta'zim/Malaysia)

Saddil Ramdani (Sabah/Malaysia)

Ronaldo Kwateh (Muangthong United/Thailand)