Calvin Verdonk to Become First Indonesian Player in Champions League, Says LOSC Lille

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - LOSC Lille, a French professional football club based in Lille, Northern France, claims that Calvin Verdonk will become the first Indonesian player to feature in the Champions League (UCL) group stage."The first Indonesian footballer to appear in the UCL group stage. History," Lille wrote in a social media post on Monday, August 17, 2026.Verdonk officially joined the French club in September 2025. The 29-year-old defender played a key role in the club's third-place finish in Ligue 1 during the 2025/26 season.That finish secured Lille direct qualification for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase. Consequently, Verdonk has the opportunity to make history with the club.During the 2025/26 season, Verdonk made 18 Ligue 1 appearances, totaling 786 minutes of play. He was among the players who helped Lille secure a spot in Europe's elite competition.However, Verdonk is not the first Indonesian player to appear in the Champions League; Kevin Diks and Emil Audero had previously experienced the competition.The distinction is that Diks and Audero did not hold Indonesian citizenship at the time of their Champions League appearances. Diks played for FC Copenhagen in the UCL group stage during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.In the 2022/23 season, FC Copenhagen failed to advance past the group stage. A year later, Diks helped the Danish club reach the Round of 16 before they were eliminated by Manchester City with a 6–2 aggregate score.Meanwhile, Audero appeared for Inter Milan during the 2023/24 Champions League group stage. The goalkeeper played the full 90 minutes in a 3–3 draw against Benfica in a Group D match.Inter advanced to the Round of 16, but Audero did not make further appearances, as he spent most of the time on the bench.Audero still has the chance to appear in the Champions League again during the 2026/27 season with Como. However, that opportunity depends on the player's situation leading up to the close of the summer transfer window, including the possibility of being loaned or sold to another club.If he does indeed play for Lille in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase, Verdonk will make history as a player who held Indonesian citizenship while competing in the Champions League main stage.Read: World Cup Qualifiers: Calvin Verdonk Confident in Indonesia's Potential to Beat Qualifying JapanClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News