Who is Rizky Ridho, the 2025 FIFA Puskás Award Nominee?

Persija Jakarta’s captain and defender, Rizky Ridho Ramadhani, delivered a spectacular strike against Arema FC in the BRI Liga 1 2024/25 on March 9, 2025, which has earned accolades far beyond just ‘Goal of the Season.’ The goal has now been officially nominated for the 2025 FIFA Puskás Award, FIFA’s prestigious global honor for the year’s best goal.

The goal originated from a well-orchestrated counter-attack. It began with Ridho gaining possession deep inside his own penalty area, from where he calmly released a precise pass to Ryo Matsumura waiting in open space.

The entire sequence was characterized by his composure, precision, and audacity a goal born from the intuition and courage of a true on-field leader.

Career Path

Rizky Ridho’s football journey began at a young age at the Sumo Putro Football School (SSB). From 2018-2019, he joined the Persebaya academy, becoming a key part of the Persebaya U-20 squad that competed in the 2019 Liga 1 U-20.

His success with the youth team, which included winning the 2019 Elite Pro Academy (EPA) U-20 Liga 1 title, earned him a promotion to the senior squad for the 2020 season following his impressive performances.

In February 2020, Ridho helped Persebaya win the East Java Governor’s Cup preseason tournament. He made his professional Liga 1 2020/2021 debut for Persebaya a month later. During his tenure with the club, he amassed 43 league appearances and scored 3 goals.

On July 1, 2023, Rizky Ridho joined Persija Jakarta, making his debut against PSM at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK) on July 3, 2023. He netted his first goal for the club during week 7 of the BRI Liga 1 2023-2024 season against Borneo FC.

Ridho quickly established himself as a first-choice defender for Persija. In the current 2024/2025 season, he was entrusted with the captain’s armband, succeeding Andritany Ardhiyasa.

International Career

Ridho’s international career began with the Indonesia U-19 team at the 2019 AFF U-19 Youth Championship. He later captained the U-19s in a friendly match against Bulgaria U-19 on September 5, 2020.

In May 2021, he received his first senior national team call-up from coach Shin Tae-yong. He earned his debut cap in a friendly against Oman on May 29, 2021, at the young age of 19 years, 6 months, and 8 days.

On March 25, 2023, Ridho scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Burundi. He has since become a mainstay at center-back for the Indonesian national team, remarkably earning 40 senior caps by the age of 22.

Reaction to the Nomination

“I am grateful to be nominated for the Puskás Award. Honestly, I never imagined that goal would receive this much recognition,” Ridho said, as reported by Ileague.

“I want to thank my teammates, the coaching staff, officials, and all the Jakmania (Persija supporters) who always support us. That goal was born from teamwork, not just an individual action. Hopefully, this can motivate all of us to keep striving for better.”

Persija President Director, Mohamad Prapanca, welcomed the news with pride. He expressed his pleasure that Persija provided an ideal environment for Ridho to reach a world-class level, adding that he hopes this global recognition is achieved not only by Ridho but by other players as well.

“Ridho shows that dreams know no bounds. That goal is a reflection of hard work, discipline, and the courage to try what seems impossible. We are proud of Ridho and will continue to support him,” Prapanca stated, according to Ilegue.