Ferdinand Alfred Sinaga (born 18 September 1988) is an Indonesian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Liga 1 club

Persis Solo Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Surakarta (commonly known as PERSIS Solo, literally translates to Indonesian Football Association of Surakarta), is an Indonesian football club based in the Central Java city of Surakarta. Founded on 8 November 1923 ...

. Ferdinand plays mainly as a striker, but he has also been deployed as a

second striker Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

, and wide forward.

Club career

Persib Bandung

In March 2014, Sinaga was banned for two matches by the

Football Association of Indonesia The Football Association of Indonesia ( id, Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia; 'All-Indonesian Football Association'; abbreviated as PSSI) is the governing body of Football soccer, football in Indonesia. It was founded on 19 April 1930, fif ...

for excessively cursing at a referee in a match against

Semen Padang PT Semen Padang is the state-owned company that became oldest cement plant in Indonesia, having been founded in 1910. The company owns the football club Semen Padang F.C., that competes in the Liga 2 (Indonesia). History PT Semen Padang ...

on 16 February 2014. He missed Persib's next matches against

PS Barito Putera Persatuan Sepak Bola Barito Putera, also known as Barito Putera, is an Indonesian professional football club based in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The club currently competes in the Liga 1. History Foundation and Galatama era (1988–199 ...

and

Arema Cronus Arema Football Club is an Indonesian professional football club based in Malang, East Java. The club competes in the Liga 1, the top flight of Indonesian Football. They are considered one of the best and most successful football clubs in ...

. In addition to the ban, he was also fined 25 million rupiahs for his behavior. On 10 June 2014, Sinaga scored a spectacular

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before d ...

in a 3–1 win over

. He juggled the ball twice from a corner kick before unleashing an unstoppable overhead kick into the net. Sinaga played in the 2014 Indonesia Super League Final against

Persipura Jayapura Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jayapura, or Persipura, is an Indonesian football club based in Jayapura, Papua. The club was founded in 1963 and currently competes in the Liga 2. Persipura used to always use the Mandala Stadium as their ...

. Although he did not manage to score in normal time, Sinaga netted the second penalty for Persib in the 5–3 penalty shootout win.

Sriwijaya

On 30 November 2014, he was signed by

Sriwijaya Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th ...

. Sinaga made his debut on 4 April 2015 in a match against

Pelita Bandung Raya Madura United Football Club is an Indonesian professional football club. The club is based in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java. They currently play in the Liga 1. Established on 10 January 2016, Madura United FC is one of few professional club ...

. On 7 April 2015, Sinaga scored his first goal for Sriwijaya in the 76th minute against

at the

Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, also known as Jakabaring Stadium ( id, Stadion Gelora Sriwijaya; literally "Sriwijaya Sports Arena Stadium"), is a multi-purpose stadium located in Jakabaring Sport City complex in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. ...

, Palembang.

PSM Makassar

He was signed for

PSM Makassar Persatuan Sepakbola Makassar ( 'Football Association of Makassar'; abbreviated as PSM) is an Indonesian professional football club based in Makassar, South Sulawesi that competes in Liga 1. PSM was founded in 1915 as , making it the oldest ...

to play in

Indonesia Soccer Championship A Indonesia Soccer Championship A, also known as Torabika Soccer Championship presented by IM3 Ooredoo for sponsorship reasons, was a football competition that replaced the temporarily-suspended Indonesia Super League. Persipura won the title on ...

in the 2016 season and 2017 Liga 1. He made 51 league appearances and scored 22 goals.

Kelantan

On 4 January 2018, Sinaga signed a one-year contract with Malaysian

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

side

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...

. He made his league debut for

Kelantan FA Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023. Founded in 1946, the ...

in 2–1 defeat to

Melaka United Melaka United Football Club () was a defunct Malaysian professional football club based in Malacca that competes in the Malaysia Super League. They were owned by Kenteam Sdn Bhd which is one of nitrile glove producer in Malaysia. Previously, th ...

on 3 February 2018. On 19 March 2018, Sinaga has been released from Kelantan and returned to Indonesian club

Return to PSM Makassar

In 2018, it was confirmed that Ferdinand Sinaga would re-join

, signing a three-year contract. Sinaga made his debut on 31 March 2018 in a match against

Perseru Serui Persatuan Sepakbola Serui, commonly known as Perseru Serui, or Perseru, was an Indonesian football club based in Yapen Islands Regency, Papua. Their nickname is ''The Orange Cendrawasih''. The traditional team home kit is black and orange st ...

. On 16 April 2018, Sinaga scored his first goal for PSM in the 28th minute against Barito Putera. He made 62 league appearances and scored 20 goals for PSM Makassar.

PSMS Medan (loan)

He was signed for

PSMS Medan Persatuan Sepakbola Medan dan Sekitarnya, commonly known as PSMS, is an Indonesian football club based in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is one of Indonesia's most successful clubs. They currently compete in Liga 2, the second level in Ind ...

to play in the Liga 2 in the 2020 season, on loan from

. This season was suspended on 27 March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The season was abandoned and was declared void on 20 January 2021.

Return to Persib Bandung

In 2021, Ferdinand Sinaga signed a contract with Indonesian Liga 1 club

Persib Bandung Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Bandung ( 'Indonesian Football Association of Bandung'), commonly referred to as Persib Bandung, or simply Persib, is a professional football club based in Bandung, West Java, which competes in Liga 1, the to ...

for 2021 Menpora Cup.

Persis Solo

In 2021, Ferdinand signed a contract with Indonesian Liga 2 club

. He was transferred from

. He made his league debut on 5 October against

Persijap Jepara Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jepara, also known as Persijap is an Indonesian football club based in Jepara, Central Java. After winning 2019 Liga 3, they compete in the Liga 2. Their nickname is ''Laskar Kalinyamat'' (Kalinyamat Warriors) and ' ...

at the

Manahan Stadium Manahan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. Manahan is the first stadium in Indonesia which hosts the biggest disabled sporting event in Southeast Asia, the 2011 ASEAN Para Games. The stadium was opened on ...

, Surakarta. On 22 December 2021, Ferdinand scored his first goal for Persis against

Persiba Balikpapan Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Balikpapan, commonly known as Persiba Balikpapan, is an professional football club based in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The club plays in Liga 2, after relegation from Liga 1 in 2017 season. The club ...

at the

Pakansari Stadium Stadion Pakansari is an all-seater stadium at Pakansari, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java in Indonesia. It is mostly used for football matches and is the home stadium of Persikabo 1973. It can hold 30,000 spectators. The stadium is one of the venues for ...

Cibinong Cibinong ( su, ᮎᮤᮘᮤᮔᮧᮀ) is a district in Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia which serves as the Regency's capital. Cibinong District had 363,424 inhabitants at the 2020 Census. The Science Center of Indonesian Institute of Sciences ...

PSM Makassar (loan)

In 2022, Ferdinand signed a contract with Indonesian Liga 1 club

, on loan from

. He made his league debut on 8 January 2022 in a match against

Madura United Madura United Football Club is an Indonesian professional football club. The club is based in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java. They currently play in the Liga 1 (Indonesia), Liga 1. Established on 10 January 2016, Madura United FC is one of fe ...

at the

Ngurah Rai Stadium Ngurah Rai Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Denpasar, Indonesia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the home of the Perseden Denpasar Persatuan Sepakbola Denpasar, commonly known as Perseden Denpasar is an Indonesi ...

Denpasar Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ) is the capital of Bali and the main gateway to the island. The city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands. With the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Bali ...

International career

Sinaga has played for Indonesia at youth and senior level. Sinaga has played in 2011 Southeast Asian Games where his side lost with a penalty kick against

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

in the final. Sinaga also has represented Indonesia U-23 at

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. He has scored 6 goals during that tournament. Sinaga was first capped for senior team on 27 August 2011 in a 0–1 friendly defeat against

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

at the Amman International Stadium,

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

coming off the bench for Cristian Gonzáles.

Personal life

Sinaga is a devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who often celebrates goals by making the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...

. Sinaga was born to Samson Sinaga, a bus driver, and Risnalu Turnip. He is married to Aghie Veronicca and they have two children named Fabio and Fabian Sinaga. Sinaga has more than eleven tattoos on his body, mostly on his arm and torso. Among his tattoos are the name of his wife and child,

Catholic prayers In the Catholic Church, prayer is "the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." It is an act of the moral virtue of religion, which Catholic theologians identify as a part of the cardinal virtue of jus ...

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

and a Christian cross.

Career statistics

Club

International

Indonesia U-23

Honours

Club

;Pelita Jaya U-21 *

Indonesia Super League U-21 Liga 1 U-19 is a junior level league of participating clubs in the Liga 1. From 2008 to 2014, this youth league was an under-21 league known as the Indonesia Super League U-21. From the 2017 season onwards, the competition age limit decreased fro ...

: 2008-09 ;Semen Padang *

Indonesia Premier League Indonesian Premier League (IPL; Indonesian: ''Liga Prima Indonesia'') was the highest level competition for football clubs in Indonesia from 2011 to 2013. This competition was managed by ''PT Liga Prima Indonesia Sportindo'', under supervision ...

: 2011-12 ;Persib Bandung *

Indonesia Super League Liga 1 ( en, League 1), also known as BRI Liga 1 for sponsorship reasons with Bank Rakyat Indonesia, is the men's top professional football division of the Indonesian football league system. Administered by the PT Liga Indonesia Baru (), Liga 1 i ...

: 2014 ;PSM Makassar *

Piala Indonesia Piala Indonesia ( 'Indonesia Cup') is the professional annual cup competition for football clubs in Indonesia. Originally, it started from the semi-professional football era in 1985 as Piala Liga, which ran until 1989 under Galatama competition. ...

: 2019 ;Persis Solo * Liga 2:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

International

;Indonesia U-23 *

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with sup ...

Silver medal:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

;Indonesia *

AFF Championship The ASEAN Football Federation Championship (less formally the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship reason, is the primary association football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football ...

runner-up: 2016

Individual

Indonesian Premier League Indonesian Premier League (IPL; Indonesian: ''Liga Prima Indonesia'') was the highest level competition for football clubs in Indonesia from 2011 to 2013. This competition was managed by ''PT Liga Prima Indonesia Sportindo'', under supervision ...

Top Goalscorer: 2011-12 (15 goals) *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

Top Goalscorer: 2014 (6 goals) *

Best Player: 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinaga, Ferdinand Indonesian footballers Living people 1988 births People of Batak descent People from Bengkulu Indonesian Roman Catholics Indonesia international footballers Expatriate footballers in Malaysia Indonesian expatriate footballers Indonesian expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Indonesia youth international footballers Indonesian Super League-winning players Persibat Batang players Persikab Bandung players Pelita Jaya FC players PPSM Magelang players Persiwa Wamena players Semen Padang F.C. players Persisam Putra Samarinda players Persib Bandung players Sriwijaya F.C. players PSM Makassar players Kelantan F.C. players PSMS Medan players Persis Solo players Indonesian Premier Division players Malaysia Super League players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players Liga 2 (Indonesia) players Indonesian Premier League players Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games Association football wingers Association football forwards Southeast Asian Games silver medalists for Indonesia Southeast Asian Games medalists in football Competitors at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games Asian Games competitors for Indonesia