One of the shining stars of Indonesia’s increasingly prolific football roster, Pratama Arhan, has just recently announced a move abroad to Japan’s Tokyo Verdy.

Arhan will bid farewell to PSIS Semarang to take up this new posting in Tokyo.

News of this transfer was announced on Wednesday by the J2 League club, which will position this young, incredibly talented left-back to continue his rise to become one of Southeast Asia’s most promising players.

While still relatively early in his career and with only a few senior league appearances under his belt so far, Pratama Arhan impressed football fans at last year’s AFF Suzuki Cup, where he played a key role for the Indonesian team in their run towards the final.

Although the Indonesian team ultimately lost to Thailand in a closely fought final, Arhan was nevertheless named ‘Best Young Player of the Tournament’ in recognition of his efforts.

In this match up, Arhan impressed both Indonesian and Thai football fans alike with his tenacious defensive capabilities. Displaying a level of skill far beyond his years, this confident 20-year-old continued to push the pace.

This impressive display generated quite a bit of buzz about Arhan following the tournament, which immediately got the rumor mill whirring about the possibility of a move abroad. Interest from Japanese and South Korean clubs appeared particularly strong, with Tokyo Verdy eventually winning out.

Arhan joins a growing number of Indonesian players making a name for themselves on foreign teams in recent years. Since making moves abroad to Slovakia and South Korea, the likes of Egy Maulana, Witan Sulaeman and Asnawi Mangkualam have helped to raise the profile of Indonesian football.

However, the ultimate hope is that this experience playing abroad will serve the Indonesian team’s efforts in years to come. With the AFC Asian Cup scheduled to take place in 2023 and qualifiers due to start this coming June, this experience will be needed sooner rather than later. With that said, all eyes will be on Arhan in the coming months as he builds up the playing experience that will undoubtedly prove useful for Indonesia in the future.