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Kim Jeffrey Kurniawan (born 23 March 1990) is a 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
midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for Liga 1 club
PSS Sleman Perserikatan Sepakbola Sleman ( 'Sleman Football Union'), or mostly known through its abbreviation PSS, is a professional football club based in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The club competes in the Liga 1 , the top ...
. Born in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, he represented
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
at international level.


Personal life

Kim Kurniawan was born in Germany to a German mother and an Indonesian father who has Chinese lineage. His paternal grandfather, Kwee Hong Sing, was an Indonesian footballer who played for
Persija Jakarta Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta ( 'Indonesian Football Association of Jakarta'; abbreviated as Persija), is an Indonesian professional football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jakarta is one of the most suc ...
and the Indonesia national team in the 1950s. Born with German nationality, Kurniawan decided to take up Indonesian citizenship after the
PSSI The Football Association of Indonesia ( id, Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia; 'All-Indonesian Football Association'; abbreviated as PSSI) is the governing body of football in Indonesia. It was founded on 19 April 1930, fifteen years before ...
, the football association of Indonesia, offered him a naturalization path that could pave way for him to win a position on the national team. In December 2010, he officially received an Indonesian passport and, after Cristian Gonzáles, became the second naturalized football player in that country; Gonzáles had done so in November 2010. Kurniawan's sister, Jennifer Kurniawan, is married to
Irfan Bachdim Irfan Haarys Bachdim (born 11 August 1988) is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Liga 1 club Persis Solo. Early life Irfan father, Noval, is an Indonesian national of Arab descent born in ...
, an Indonesian football player who was born and bred in the Netherlands. Bachdim and Kurniawan, who are both playing for PSS Sleman, came to Indonesia at the same time in 2010 and became teammates at
Persema Malang Persema, an acronym for Persatuan Sepakbola Malang is an Indonesian football club based in Malang, East Java. They currently compete in the Liga 3. History The club was officially established in 1953, with primary funding from Malang's mun ...
in 2011.


Early career


Karlsruher SC

After training at a soccer school in
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
, Kurniawan, then age 6, was recruited by German club
Karlsruher SC Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...
when it was still playing in the top-flight
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
. He stayed there for 12 years, participating in youth games against international clubs such as
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
, FC Valencia and other German clubs like Bayern Munich,
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
,
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
and Bayer 04 Leverkusen. However, Kurniawan suffered a
knee injury In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the h ...
at 18 in his last junior season, ruining his dream to play high-level professional football in Germany.


Club career


FC 07 Heidelsheim

His knee injury kept him away from the ball for the better part of a year. Eventually, Kurniawan joined FC 07 Heidelsheim which played in the
Verbandsliga The Verbandsliga ( en, Football Association League) is usually a tier-six football league in the German football league system, covering the area of a '' Bundesland'' or a regional part of such Bundesland.contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
but this changed after he received an invitation to play in Indonesia with a possibility to play for the national team of his father's country.


Persema Malang

Kurniawan went to Indonesia in 2010 with two other Europe-based footballers of Indonesian descent,
Irfan Bachdim Irfan Haarys Bachdim (born 11 August 1988) is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Liga 1 club Persis Solo. Early life Irfan father, Noval, is an Indonesian national of Arab descent born in ...
and Alessandro Trabucco. His career there started with an invitation to charity games in
East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
cities of Surabaya and Malang in 2010. After the matches, Timo Scheunemann, a German who was coaching top-flight team
Persema Malang Persema, an acronym for Persatuan Sepakbola Malang is an Indonesian football club based in Malang, East Java. They currently compete in the Liga 3. History The club was officially established in 1953, with primary funding from Malang's mun ...
contacted Kurniawan and offered him a
trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...
, in which the latter impressed. Scheunemann recruited Kurniawan and Bachdim to play in the 2011 season of the breakaway
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 ...
, irking the PSSI that later delayed Kurniawan's naturalization process. Without an Indonesian passport at the time, Kurniawan could not play as local player until he officially became Indonesian. An injury also kept him from playing on the national team for the Suzuki AFF Cup 2010. Despite the challenges, Kurniawan signed a contract with
Persema Malang Persema, an acronym for Persatuan Sepakbola Malang is an Indonesian football club based in Malang, East Java. They currently compete in the Liga 3. History The club was officially established in 1953, with primary funding from Malang's mun ...
in 2011 and stayed for almost three years. Amid Persema's financial problems in late 2013, Kurniawan tried to play in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
but did not secure a contract despite trials at several clubs.


Pelita Bandung Raya

The failure in Thailand led Kurniawan to look for opportunities in Indonesia again. Kurniawan in December 2013 signed up for
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 ...
that played in Bandung,
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
in the Indonesia Super League. He played for two seasons there under Serbian coach
Dejan Antonic Dejan (Cyrillic: Дејан) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Slavic verb ''dejati'', meaning "to act, to do". The name and the derived surname Dejanović are common among South Slavs. The name is first recorded in 1325 (1333) ...
until the club was sold in late 2015 after going through financial difficulties.


Persib Bandung

Kurniawan in early 2016 joined
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 ...
after the top club in Bandung hired coach Antonic. During the FIFA one-year suspension on Indonesian football, Kurniawan was part of the Persib team that participated in unauthorized tournaments in his first season, including the 2016 Indonesia Soccer Championship A where the club finished fifth and the 2016 Bhayangkara Cup that saw the team went all the way to the final. Kurniawan's second season saw his team finish 13th in the 2017 Liga 1, the first full-season of top-flight Indonesian football after FIFA lifted the suspension. Unfortunately, injuries affected his career again. He broke his
fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity i ...
at the end of the season after being tackled by a
Persija Jakarta Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta ( 'Indonesian Football Association of Jakarta'; abbreviated as Persija), is an Indonesian professional football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jakarta is one of the most suc ...
player in the traditionally hostile Persija-Persib match. Kurniawan had to sit out most of the 2018 Liga 1. During recovery, Kurniawan developed an array of businesses in Bandung, ranging from a clothing line to a barbershop that has gained popularity among fans. Kurniawan's undeterred will to come back from injury in late 2018 that led to a revived performance in the
2019 Liga 1 The 2019 Liga 1, also known as Shopee Liga 1 for sponsorship reasons, was the third season of Liga 1 under its current name and the 10th season of the top-flight Indonesian professional league for association football clubs since its establishmen ...
season, along with a number of goals, and his popular businesses won support from Persib fans who affectionately call him "Little Kimmy". Fans first thought he would retire in Bandung. However, Kurniawan shocked Persib loyalists when he decided to move in February 2021.


PSS Sleman

Kurniawan in early 2021, before the pre-season Piala Menpora tournament, decided to join
PSS Sleman Perserikatan Sepakbola Sleman ( 'Sleman Football Union'), or mostly known through its abbreviation PSS, is a professional football club based in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The club competes in the Liga 1 , the top ...
. His main reason was to reunite with coach
Dejan Antonic Dejan (Cyrillic: Дејан) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Slavic verb ''dejati'', meaning "to act, to do". The name and the derived surname Dejanović are common among South Slavs. The name is first recorded in 1325 (1333) ...
and brother-in-law
Irfan Bachdim Irfan Haarys Bachdim (born 11 August 1988) is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Liga 1 club Persis Solo. Early life Irfan father, Noval, is an Indonesian national of Arab descent born in ...
, who both joined the up-and-coming Liga 1 club for the 2020 season that abruptly ended due to the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic.


International career

Kurniawan came to play in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
in 2010 after injuries dashed any hope of getting called by his birth country
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Tempted by the possibility of representing his father's country, he took up the PSSI naturalization offer. In 2011, Kurniawan received the call from the Indonesia national under-23 team to play in the Southeast Asian Games 2011. He trained in several cities, including
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
but did not break into the final squad. In 2015, he was invited to the official FIFA friendly games against
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
and
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. During the match in
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency ( jv, ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦢꦲꦂꦗ, Kabupatèn Sidaharja) is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya city and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regenc ...
on 30 March 2015 against
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, Kurniawan was brought on and made his debut for the senior team in a 2-1 win.


Honours

PSS Sleman * Menpora Cup third place:
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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
Individual * Menpora Cup Best Eleven:
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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...


Filmography

* ''
Tendangan dari Langit ''Tendangan dari Langit'' is a 2011 Indonesian film directed by Hanung Bramantyo. This film stars Yosie Kristanto, Maudy Ayunda, and Joshua Suherman. Cast Production Filming took place at several locations in Malang, including Gajayana Stadi ...
'' (2011) * '' Aku Cinta Kamu'' (2014)


References


External links


Kim Kurniawan official website

Interview on career in English
Football Indonesia podcast
Kim Kurniawan
at Soccerway * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurniawan, Kim 1990 births Living people People from Mühlacker Sportspeople from Karlsruhe (region) Indonesian footballers Indonesia youth international footballers Indonesia international footballers Indonesian people of Chinese descent Indonesian sportspeople of Chinese descent German people of Chinese descent German people of Indonesian descent Indo people Indonesian Christians Naturalised citizens of Indonesia Indonesian Premier League players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players Persema Malang players Pelita Bandung Raya players Persib Bandung players PSS Sleman players Association football midfielders