Get to Know Ivar Jenner: Naturalized Player in Indonesia's Football ...

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian national football team has demonstrated remarkable performance, particularly thanks to the leadership of coach Shin Tae-Yong. They have outdone themselves, like securing their ticket to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, and achieved unprecedented levels of success.

Speaking of Shin Tae-Yong, the Korean-born coach is notable for bringing naturalized players to join the national team. Of all the players undergoing naturalization, Ivar Jenner is one of them.

Since his debut in 2023, Jenner has been a good addition to the Garuda squad, strengthening the defense line for Indonesia. Citing Tempo, PSSI, Transfermarkt, and other sources, let’s get to know Ivar Jenner with some of his trivia below.

Ivar Jenner was born on January 10, 2004, in Utrecht, Netherlands. Despite being Dutch-born, he has Indonesian roots on his father’s side. In a special interview with a YouTuber, Yussa Nugraha, Jenner revealed that his Indonesian bloodline comes from his father.

“My father is fully Indonesian, my mother is of Dutch origin, and my grandparents are also of Indonesian nationality. All of my father's relatives are of Indonesian nationality,” said Jenner in the interview with Nugraha on September 6, 2020.

Jenner began his career in football when he was at the age of 4. The young talent’s first club was the IJFC, a club in IJsselstein, Netherlands, in which he played from 2010 to 2014. From 2014 to 2016, he continued his career with Jong Ajax, demonstrating strong performance as a central midfielder.

Following his tenure with Ajax, Ivar Jenner played for Jong Utrecht from 2016 to 2020. His outstanding performance as a central midfielder brought him to his deployment as a defensive midfielder.

His career continued with his addition to the Utrecht U-17 from 2020 to 2021. The now defensive midfielder made four appearances and scored one goal. This just shows Jenner's versatility in being a midfielder and a scorer at the same time.

Regardless of his minimal appearances on the green field, Jenner was promoted to join the Utrecht U-18 in 2021. While playing for Utrecht U-18, Jenner has made 19 appearances with one goal, further demonstrating his capabilities as a central midfielder. Soon, he would join the Utrecht U-21 in 2022.

With his exemplary performance as a central midfielder, Jenner transferred to Utrecht U-21 in 2022. He participated in 18 matches and received five yellow cards. During his tenure at Utrecht U-21, Jenner's participation in the first-team squad was limited, with a 29 percent success rate.

His excellent performance not only brought him to the Utrecht U-21 but also intrigued Shin Tae-Yong’s attention. As Tempo reported, on November 17, 2022, Jenner was given the opportunity to play with the Indonesian U-20 national team in a match against France. Two days later, he also made a remarkable performance in a match against Slovakia.

Later in 2023, Ivar Jenner underwent his naturalization process. Along with his teammate, Rafael Struick, who’s also of Dutch origin, Jenner officially became an Indonesian citizen after taking the oath-taking ceremony at the Jakarta Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Cawang on May 22, 2023.

“This is a great day. I want to thank the chairperson of PSSI as well as the Indonesian government. I can't describe my feelings right now, but I'm very happy,” said Jenner, expressing his gratitude.

Although he once played for the U-20 national team in 2022, Jenner’s real debut with the Indonesian national football team was during a friendly match against Palestine on June 14, 2023. The central midfielder entered the green field from the bench, replacing Ricky Kambuaya in the 71st minute.

Of all his appearances, Jenner outdid himself in a match against Iraq on May 2, 2024. At that time, Jenner received the ball from Witan Sulaeman and successfully scored a goal after his remarkable shooting. The midfielder brought the squad ahead with a goal in the 19th minute, although the match ended with a tied score.

Jenner is relatively far away from being regarded as the most valuable Indonesian player, but he still makes it to the top 20 list. According to Transfermarkt, as of 2024, Jenner’s market value stands at Rp6.08 billion, making him a close contender with Nathan Tjoe-A-On.

When it comes to valuable Indonesian players, Mees Hilgers currently leads the pack with Rp173 billion worth of market value.

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