Diego Michiels joins Persija IPL

Naturalized Indonesian soccer player Diego Michiels has signed a two-year contract with Jakarta soccer club Persija.

The signing will give him the chance to sign up for the Indonesian Premier League (IPL) and to play for the Indonesian national team.

“I have decided to join Persija because it is a big team in the capital and it is a club officially recognized by FIFA [Fédération Internationale de Football Association],” he said Wednesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

“I came to Indonesia to carry the Indonesian flag as a national team player, and that is still my main goal.”

Diego recently left Pelita Jaya, a club that competes in the Indonesian Super League (ISL), which the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) has deemed illegal.

The Dutch-born player confirmed that he had started his training sessions with his new teammates on Wednesday.

Diego rose to stardom after a sterling performance on the nation’s silver-medal-winning Under-23 squad at the Southeast Asian Games. (awd)