Radja Nainggolan facts for kids
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Nainggolan with Belgium in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 May 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Lokeren-Temse | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2005 | Germinal Beerschot | ||
| 2005–2007 | Piacenza | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2010 | Piacenza | 71 | (4) |
| 2010 | → Cagliari (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2010–2014 | Cagliari | 124 | (7) |
| 2014 | → Roma (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2014–2018 | Roma | 138 | (26) |
| 2018–2021 | Inter Milan | 33 | (6) |
| 2019–2020 | → Cagliari (loan) | 26 | (6) |
| 2021 | → Cagliari (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Antwerp | 44 | (3) |
| 2023 | SPAL | 10 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Bhayangkara | 10 | (1) |
| 2025– | Lokeren-Temse | 1 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2004 | Belgium U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2007 | Belgium U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Belgium U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2007–2010 | Belgium U21 | 13 | (1) |
| 2009–2018 | Belgium | 30 | (6) |
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Radja Nainggolan (born 4 May 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer. He plays as a central midfielder for Challenger Pro League club Lokeren-Temse.
People call him Il Ninja. He spent most of his career playing football in Italy. He played for teams like Piacenza, Cagliari, Roma, and Inter Milan. He played in 367 games and scored 48 goals in Serie A. He was chosen four times in a row for the Serie A Team of the Year.
Nainggolan played for the Belgian national team for eight years. He played 30 games for his country and scored six goals. He also played in the Euro 2016 tournament.
Contents
Radja's Early Life and Family
Radja Nainggolan was born in Antwerp, Belgium. His mother, Lizy Bogaerts, was Belgian. She raised him and his three half-brothers and twin sister. His father, Marianus Nainggolan, was from Indonesia. His father left the family when Radja was a child.
Radja's mother passed away in 2010. After her death, he got a tattoo of two large wings on his back. The tattoo includes her birth and death dates. Radja grew up Roman Catholic. He can speak Dutch, English, French, and Italian very well.
Radja's Club Career Journey
Starting at Piacenza
Nainggolan started playing football at age 5 with Tubantia Borgerhout. When he was 12, he joined the youth team of Germinal Beerschot. In 2005, he moved to Italy to play for Serie B club Piacenza.
He played his first senior game on 28 May 2006. The next season, he became a regular player for the team. In the 2008–09 season, Nainggolan played 38 out of 42 games. He scored three goals, helping his team avoid being moved to a lower league.
Time with Cagliari
On 27 January 2010, Nainggolan joined Cagliari on loan. He played his first Serie A game on 7 February. Cagliari later bought half of his player rights.
In the 2010–11 season, Nainggolan played often. On 31 October 2010, he scored his first goal in Italy's top league. Cagliari then bought the rest of his contract from Piacenza.
By October 2013, Nainggolan was a key player for Cagliari. He signed a contract extension until 2016. Fans loved him and even put him on a list of the club's best players ever.
Playing for Roma
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On 7 January 2014, Nainggolan joined Roma on loan. He made his debut two days later in a Coppa Italia match. He helped Roma reach the quarter-finals of the cup.
On 22 February 2014, Nainggolan scored his first goal for Roma. He scored the winning goal against Bologna. His second goal for Roma helped his team qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Nainggolan signed a permanent deal with Roma in 2015. He extended his contract twice, first until June 2020, then for another year.
Joining Inter Milan
On 26 June 2018, Nainggolan signed with Inter Milan. He scored in his first league game for Inter on 1 September. He also scored in a Champions League game against PSV. He was the first Belgian player to score for Inter in that competition.
In August 2019, Nainggolan went back to Cagliari on loan for a season. He was named the league's best player for November. He scored two goals and made three assists, helping his team reach fourth place. He returned to Cagliari on loan again on 31 December 2020.
Time with Antwerp
On 10 August 2021, Nainggolan's contract with Inter Milan ended. Four days later, he signed a two-year deal with Royal Antwerp in Belgium. He played his first game in the Belgian First Division on 22 September. He scored his first goal for Antwerp on 5 December.
In October 2022, Nainggolan was suspended by Antwerp. In December, he left the club.
Moving to SPAL and Bhayangkara
On 30 January 2023, Nainggolan joined Italian second-tier club SPAL. His former Roma teammate, Daniele De Rossi, was the coach there. He signed a five-month contract. However, the team was moved to a lower league.
In November 2023, Nainggolan agreed to play for Bhayangkara in Indonesia. He joined to help the team avoid being moved to a lower league. He played his first game on 17 December. He scored his only goal on 16 March 2024.
Later Career
On 21 January 2025, Nainggolan signed a five-month deal with Challenger Pro League club Lokeren-Temse. In his first game, he scored a special goal directly from a corner kick, which is called an "Olympic goal."
Radja's International Career
Because of his father's background, Nainggolan could have played for either Indonesia or Belgium. He chose to play for Belgium. He played in the 2007–09 International Challenge Trophy finals, which Belgium's under-23 team won.
Nainggolan played his first game for the senior Belgian team on 29 May 2009. He scored his first goal for Belgium on 5 March 2014, in a friendly game against Côte d'Ivoire.
He was on a standby list for the 2014 FIFA World Cup but did not make the final team.
Nainggolan was a key player for Belgium during the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying games. He scored goals against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Andorra. These goals helped Belgium qualify for the tournament for the first time in 16 years.
He played in the Euro 2016 finals in France. He scored a goal against Sweden that sent Belgium to the next stage. In the quarter-finals, he scored another goal against Wales, but Belgium lost that game.
On 26 August 2017, Nainggolan said he would stop playing for the national team. He was not chosen for upcoming World Cup qualifiers. He said he wanted to focus on his club career. However, he was later called up for friendly games but had to pull out due to injury.
On 21 May 2018, Nainggolan announced he was retiring from international football for good. This was after he was not picked for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Radja's Style of Play
Nainggolan is a fast, energetic, and strong midfielder. He can play in many different midfield positions. He has good vision and can pass the ball well. He is also known for his strong shots from far away. He can make good runs into attack.
He is also good at winning the ball back from opponents. He often plays as a "box-to-box" midfielder, meaning he helps both in defense and attack. He can also play as a winger.
At Roma, he mostly played as a central or defensive midfielder. Later, he played in a more attacking role. People have praised Nainggolan for his leadership on the field.
Radja's Life Outside Football
Personal Life
Nainggolan is married to Claudia Lai. They have two daughters, Aysha (born 2012) and Mailey (born 2016). His twin sister, Riana, is also a footballer.
Ambassador Role
On 8 November 2023, Nainggolan became an ambassador for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He worked with another footballer, Sabreena Dressler, to promote the event.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Piacenza | 2005–06 | Serie B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2009–10 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 71 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 74 | 4 | |||
| Cagliari | 2009–10 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| 2011–12 | 37 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |||
| 2013–14 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| Total | 131 | 7 | 6 | 0 | — | 137 | 7 | |||
| Roma (loan) | 2013–14 | Serie A | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 20 | 2 | |
| Roma | 2014–15 | Serie A | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 46 | 5 |
| 2015–16 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 42 | 6 | ||
| 2016–17 | 37 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 53 | 14 | ||
| 2017–18 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 42 | 6 | ||
| Total | 155 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 39 | 3 | 203 | 33 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2018–19 | Serie A | 29 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 36 | 7 |
| 2020–21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 7 | ||
| Cagliari (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 26 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 6 | |
| 2020–21 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 48 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | 51 | 7 | |||
| Antwerp | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 37 | 3 |
| 2022–23 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 3 | ||
| Total | 44 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 55 | 6 | ||
| SPAL | 2022–23 | Serie B | 10 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| Bhayangkara | 2023–24 | Liga 1 | 10 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| Lokeren-Temse | 2024–25 | Challenger Pro League | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 502 | 57 | 22 | 2 | 57 | 7 | 581 | 66 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 6 | |
- Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nainggolan goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 March 2014 | King Baudouin, Brussels, Belgium | 5 |  Ivory Coast |
2–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 13 October 2014 | Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 3 | 7 June 2015 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 11 |  France |
3–0 | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 4 | 10 October 2015 | Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra | 15 |  Andorra |
1–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 5 | 22 June 2016 | Allianz Riviera, Nice, France | 22 |  Sweden |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
| 6 | 1 July 2016 | Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France | 24 |  Wales |
1–0 | 1–3 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
Honours and Awards
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2020–21
Antwerp
- Belgian Pro League: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
- AS Roma Player of the Season: 2016–17
- Serie A Player of the Month: November 2019
See also
In Spanish: Radja Nainggolan para niños
