Naturalized Dutch player still heartbroken as Indonesia misses out on World Cup berth

Following a serious injury, Ole Romeny continues to struggle with the disappointment of not being able to represent Indonesia at the 2026 World Cup, which is the greatest aspiration of his career.

Despite his efforts to recover from a serious injury, Ole Romeny could not help Indonesia reach the 2026 World Cup. The striker, currently with Oxford United, still carries that pain today.

In a recent interview with Dutch media, the naturalized Indonesian forward admitted he still feels anguish whenever the World Cup is mentioned a tournament that he and his teammates had placed great hopes on.

Ole Romeny shared: “Every time I hear someone talk about the World Cup, my heart aches. That feeling intensifies as the tournament approaches. I still feel the weight of disappointment and pressure.”

The dream of participating in the world’s biggest football event ended in regret for Indonesia, leaving a lasting scar on the 25-year-old player’s mind. Romeny’s tragedy began at the 2025 President’s Cup, the preseason tournament with Oxford United, where he suffered a serious ankle injury following a harsh tackle by Paulinho Moccelin (Arema FC). Scans revealed a fractured foot bone, forcing him to undergo surgery in Amsterdam and miss several months of competition.

Throughout his recovery, what troubled Romeny most was missing the crucial stages of Indonesia’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He only returned when Indonesia entered the fourth round, facing two very strong teams, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

“My first group training session after the injury was with the team in Saudi Arabia. I barely had any match feeling,” he recounted. Lack of fitness and match sharpness meant Romeny couldn’t contribute as much as expected, despite always playing with full fighting spirit.

Indonesia lost 2-3 to Saudi Arabia and 0-1 to Iraqending their World Cup journey in disappointment. For Ole Romeny, that pain remains fresh.

He said: “I tried to move on, but every time someone mentions the World Cup, my heart still aches. Perhaps, it will always be a wound that’s hard to heal in my career.”