Radja Nainggolan

Radja Nainggolan (born 4 May 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga 1 club Bhayangkara.

Nicknamed Il Ninja, he spent almost his entire professional career in Italy, representing Piacenza, Cagliari, Roma and Inter Milan.

He made 367 appearances and scored 48 goals in Serie A, being named four consecutive times in its Team of the Year.

Seven years later he moved to the youth team of Germinal Beerschot, where he remained until 2005, when he moved to Italian Serie B club Piacenza.

He made his senior debut on 28 May 2006 during a home defeat to Arezzo, being inserted permanently into the first team the following season.

In the 2008–09 campaign, Nainggolan became a starter for the Emilia-Romagna side, playing 38 of 42 games and scoring three goals, which contributed to them avoiding relegation.

Nainggolan's mother died in 2010, and after her death he tattooed two large wings on his back with her dates of birth and death.

He was raised Roman Catholic and speaks Dutch, English, French and Italian fluently.

Nainggolan began playing football with Tubantia Borgerhout at the age of 5.

On 27 January 2010, Nainggolan was loaned to Cagliari with a buyout clause.

He made his Serie A debut on 7 February, playing seven minutes in a 3–0 away loss against Inter Milan.

After making seven appearances (including being sent off a few minutes after entering the field on 28 February against Chievo), the club announced it had acquired 50% of his rights in a co-ownership deal.

In the first part of 2010–11, under manager Pierpaolo Bisoli, Nainggolan started often due to the absence of Daniele Conti.

On 31 October 2010 he scored his first goal in the Italian top division, from a right-footed volley in a 2–0 home win over Bologna.

On 31 January 2011, Cagliari redeemed the second half of his contract from Piacenza.

In early October 2013, after three seasons as an undisputed first-choice, Nainggolan agreed to an extension until 2016.

His performances with the Rossoblu made him especially popular among their fans, who named him in a top 11 list comprising the best players in the history of the Sardinian club.

On 7 January 2014, Nainggolan was loaned to fellow top-flight team Roma until the end of the campaign for a fee of €3 million, with an option to purchase 50% of his rights in the ensuing summer for €6 million.

He made his debut two days later, starting in a 1–0 home victory over Sampdoria for the Coppa Italia which qualified for the quarter-finals.

In the same competition, he also helped dispose of Juventus in said stage by playing the full 90 minutes at the end of the month.

On 22 February 2014, Nainggolan scored his first goal for the capital side, grabbing the 1–0 winner against Bologna.

His second, which arrived on 19 April against Fiorentina (same result) ensured his team automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

Nainggolan signed a permanent deal with Roma in the 2015 off-season, for €9 million.

A Belgium international for eight years, Nainggolan played 30 times for his country (scoring six goals) and represented it at Euro 2016.

Nainggolan was born in Antwerp, the son of Lizy Bogaerts, a Belgian of Flemish ethnicity who raised him with his three half brothers and his twin sister, and Marianus Nainggolan, an Indonesian of Toba Batak background and member of the Batak Christian Protestant Church.

He was raised in Kiel, a working-class and multicultural neighbourhood of the city.

His father abandoned the family when Nainggolan was still a child.

On 6 July 2016 he renewed his contract until June 2020, extending it a further year the following summer.

On 26 June 2018, Nainggolan signed with Inter Milan for €38 million (€24 million plus Davide Santon and Nicolò Zaniolo, valued at €14 million) until June 2022.

He scored in his league debut on 1 September, helping the visitors defeat Bologna 3–0, and just over a month later he netted the equaliser in a 2–1 comeback win at PSV in the Champions League group stage to become the first-ever Belgian to score for the club in the competition.

In August 2019, Nainggolan returned to Cagliari on a season-long loan.

He was named the league's MVP for November, with two long-range goals and three assists in three matches to help his team to reach fourth place.

Nainggolan returned to the Sardegna Arena on 31 December 2020, again on loan.

On 10 August 2021, Inter Milan announced that Nainggolan's contract with the club had been terminated by mutual consent; four days later, the 33-year-old signed a two-year deal with Antwerp.

He made his debut in his country's First Division on 22 September, starting in the 4–2 home victory against Genk.

His first goal in the competition was the game's only away to neighbours Beerschot on 5 December, and he dedicated the goal to his late mother whose honour had been insulted by the local fans.

On 17 October 2022, Nainggolan was suspended indefinitely by Antwerp after being arrested for driving with an expired driver's licence and later smoking an electronic cigarette on the bench ahead of a 3–0 loss at Standard Liége.

In December, he left by mutual consent.

After weeks of speculation, on 30 January 2023 Nainggolan officially joined Italian second-tier club SPAL, coached by former Roma team-mate and friend Daniele De Rossi, on a free transfer, signing a five-month contract with an option for one more season in case of promotion.

Not only was this not achieved, they were relegated as second-bottom.