Paes: From Eredivisie to MLS and Leading Indonesian Football

In a career that has taken him from the Eredivisie to MLS, Paes has shed the trappings of youthful ego and stepped into something far more demanding: responsibility. For club. For country. For a generation of Indonesian footballers trying to punch through the ceiling.

Speaking to FIFA, the goalkeeper cut a composed, reflective figure. This is a player who has clearly spent time thinking about the journey, not just the destination.

"Everything that has happened in my career has happened for a reason. I've grown and matured a lot because of it," he said, framing setbacks and switches of scenery as part of a deliberate path rather than a series of accidents.

That growth has reshaped his priorities. The individual ambitions that drive so many young keepers – the highlight saves, the headlines, the status – now sit firmly in the back seat.

"My ego isn't that important any more. I just want to contribute as much as possible to the team. My main goal is to win, both with the national team and at club level," he explained. The message was clear: results over reputation.

Paes sees the upcoming FIFA-backed tournament as more than just another date on the calendar. For him, it is a lever that can shift an entire region.

"It's a positive development, not just for Indonesia but for every participating country. It will raise the level of Southeast Asian football," he said, casting the competition as a platform to harden teams, sharpen standards and test mentalities under real pressure.

His own mentality has been forged in an elite setting. Daily work at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in the orbit of Germany international Marc-Andre ter Stegen, has demanded a relentless edge. Every training session, every drill, every small detail adds to a goalkeeper’s armoury. In that environment, complacency doesn’t survive.

On the international stage, he lives inside another crucible: the battle for the No.1 shirt. Under head coach John Herdman, Paes and Emil Audero are locked in a demanding yet respectful contest for the starting role. It is the kind of rivalry that can fracture a dressing room if handled badly. In this case, it is doing the opposite.

"The better the competition you face, the more it pushes you to become the best version of yourself," Paes insisted. He doesn’t see a threat. He sees a mirror, one that forces him to confront his own standards every day.

That is why personal rivalry takes a back seat when the Garuda crest is on his chest.

"The older I get, the more important it is to me that Garuda win - not me or Emil," he said. No caveats, no side notes. Just a blunt hierarchy of priorities: the team, the country, the result.

His ambitions, though, are not modest. Paes is not talking about steady progress or “good performances”. He is talking about trophies.

"For me, the goal is to win the trophy. I'd love to lift the title in front of our own supporters and repay them for all the support they've given us over the past few years," he said, picturing a home crowd, a piece of silverware and a moment that would live far beyond a single tournament cycle.

This is not where his vision stops. The regional competition, in his mind, is a launchpad, not a finish line.

"The first goal is to win the trophy here and build a really positive feeling going into the Asian Cup," Paes concluded.

For a goalkeeper who once chased moments, the target has become something much bigger: a winning culture, a statement on home soil, and momentum that carries Indonesia into the Asian stage with belief rather than hope.