He was appointed to replace Shin Tae-yong (STY), who had developed the national team over the past five years.
Under STY, Indonesia reached the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, currently occupying third place with six points from six matches.
With four remaining matches, Indonesia's chances of qualifying for the World Cup are still open.
"I am a person who likes pressure," Kluivert said during a meeting to introduce him as the new head coach in Jakarta on Sunday.
For his upcoming mission, he stated that he aims to secure victories in the four remaining matches.
Kluivert, a former Dutch striker, played for several top European clubs, including Ajax, AC Milan, and Barcelona.
After retiring as a player in 2008 with 206 goals and becoming the fourth all-time top scorer for the Dutch national team, he quickly transitioned into coaching.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at AZ Alkmaar, NEC Nijmegen, and Brisbane Roar. He later became the coach of Jong Twente, winning the championship title.
Kluivert also served as an assistant coach to Louis van Gaal in the Dutch national team, which finished third at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In 2015, he was appointed head coach of the Curacao national team for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualifiers.
He has also served as sporting director at Paris Saint-Germain, as well as coaching at Barcelona's academy, Ajax A1 (U-19), and assisting Clarence Seedorf with the Cameroon national team.
Before coming to Indonesia, Kluivert was the coach of the Turkish club Adana Demirspor. He also served as the director of Barcelona's academy.
Related news: Erick Thohir thanks Shin Tae-yong, welcomes Patrick Kluivert
Related news: Indonesia to host Bahrain at World Cup qualifiers despite concerns
Translator: Zaro Ezza S, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
