Egy Expected To Improve Performance In Polish Soccer Club

JAKARTA, March 16 (Antara) - Many parties especially soccer fans are expecting Egy Maulana Vikri, an Indonesian 17 year-old soccer player now joining Polish soccer club of Lechia Gdansk, to be able to improve his performance there. Egy is the first Indonesian player to play in Poland and also the first South East Asian player in the Polish club, despite some other Indonesian players who had previously taken part in European football clubs as well as in Australia. Egy Maulana Vikri, who will be 18 years old in July 7, 2018, hailing from Medan, North Sumatra Province, was the key player of the under 19 years old (U-19) national team. Egy is still recorded as a student of the Ragunan Special Sport School founded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs. Some of Indonesian soccer players who once joined the European football clubs in mid 1990s, such as Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto who played for the Sampdoria (Italy) and FC Luzern (Switzerland), Kurnia Sandy also in Sampdoria (Italy), Bima Sakti in Helsinborg IF club (Sweden). In 2000s, Irfan Bachdim played in the Netherlands' junior team of Ajax, Division 1 of FC Utrecht, and Division 2 of HFC Haarlem. Then, from 2011 to 2014, Arthur Irawan played for Espanyol B and Malaga B (Spain) and in Waasland-Beveren (Belgium). Alfin Tuasalamony once played for CS Vise, the Division 2 club in Belgium, and Yussa Nugraha also played in Feyenoord (Netherland). Long before that, Iswadi Idris, who was born in Banda Aceh in 1948, one of the Indonesia's legendary players, was the first Indonesian player who played for the Western Suburbs, Australia from 1974-1975. Iswadi, one of the noted national team player, passed away in Jakarta on July 11, 2008 at the age of 60 years old. The 165 meter-high Iswadi Idris was one of the country's most talented players at the moment. With regard to Egy's movement to the Lechia Gdansk blub, coach of the Indonesian national soccer team, Luis Milla, asked Egy to prepare his mentality while living and playing in Europe. "I hope he (Egy) can grow (improve) there, while preparing his mentality, because the European country is different from that of Indonesia," the website of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI), quoted Milla as saying here on Monday. The coach believed that Egy can get valuable experience while playing in Europe and would be able to pass it on to the national team. Vikri officially signed a contract with Poland`s team Lechia Gdansk and was introduced to the team, which is popularly called The Stripes on Sunday (March 11). "We will surely continue to monitor Egy`s progress while living in Poland. I know Egy is a quality player who can help us in the national team," according to the coach who once played for the European top clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. Lechia Gdansk is currently at the 13th rank among the participants of the Polish league and has just collected 27 points from 26 matches. Before leaving for Poland, Egy underwent the national training center led by coach Milla to prepare for the 2018 Asian Games competition. The Games, which will be held in Jakarta and the South Sumatra provincial capital city of Palembang from August 18 to September 2, will bring together around 10 thousand athletes from 45 countries to compete in 40 sports. A total of 40 branches of sports covered in 462 events, comprising 32 Olympic sports and eight non-Olympic sports, will be competed at the 18th Asian Games. It will be the second time that Indonesia is hosting the Asian Games next year. Indonesia hosted the Asian sporting events for the first time in 1962, the fourth one after the Asian Games were first organized in New Delhi, India, in 1951. Meanwhile, the Youth and Sports Affairs Minister, Imam Nahrawi asked Egy to show his best while playing in Poland. The Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs will continue to monitor Egy's progress while playing in Europe, according to Raden Isnanta, the Youth and Sports Affairs deputy said, adding that Egy will officially get a professional contract after the age of 18 on 7 July this year. Many parties have indeed monitored Egy's trip to Europe, considering his quality at the position as midfielder player. Before making contract with Lechia Gdansk, Egy has also been linked to other Polish club namely Legia Warsaw and one of the French clubs. In addition, secretary general of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Ratu Tisha, said that her side was still monitoring Egy's progress because he is one of the national team player who is expected to strengthen the national soccer team in preparing for the upcoming 2018 Asian Games.