In 2016, Klok had never heard of the city of Makassar, on the island of Sulawesi. The fact that football was played in Indonesia at all, as his agent explained to him, was a surprise to him.
But PSM Makassar, mid-table in the Indonesian Liga Satu, turned out to be interested in him. Klok knew little about Indonesia, but he was aware that the sun can shine there. And after two unsuccessful seasons in the drizzle at Scottish Dundee FC, that alone was a significant improvement.
He could not have imagined then that six years later as one of the biggest football stars in the country, including a million followers on Instagram, he would make his debut for the Olympic team.
Roots of the country
A day after his debut for the national team, Klok tells about his first steps in Indonesia. “It took some getting used to. Makassar is not a touristic place and not a western city at all. Still, it is good that it started there for me. I got to know Indonesia at its roots.”
Klok played football as a youth at Zeeburgia in Amsterdam in a talented team with players such as Adam Maher and Danzell Gravenberch. FC Utrecht arrived at the age of twelve, where he completed his training as a promise in midfield.
But he got stuck at Jong FC Utrecht. It was no longer as smooth as it used to be. In 2014 he moved to Ross County in Scotland. He briefly played in Bulgaria with Cherno More and then ended up at Dundee via England’s Oldham Athletic.
At first sight exciting foreign adventures, but he did not find real football happiness in Great Britain. Half-empty stadiums, reserve turns and critical media. Fun was different.
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