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REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Indonesia Team Captain Jay Idzes was named Best Player in PSSI Awards 2026 held at Studio Emtek, Jakarta, Saturday (28/3/2026). The defender, who now powers Italian club Sassuolo, outperformed a number of big names in the team such as Calvin Verdonk, Kevin Diks, Rizky Ridho and Yakob Sayuri.
Meanwhile, the Best Goal or Goal of the Year award was won by Rizky Ridho through his spectacular goal to Arema FC's goal while defending Persija Jakarta. The goal was previously also included in the nomination for the Puskas Award, the award for the best goal in the world.
Ridho admitted the award was an added motivation to continue growing. He hopes to perform even better and continue to make his maximum contribution to Indonesian football.
In the goalkeeping category, Maarten Paes, who now strengthens Ajax Amsterdam, was voted the best goalkeeper. Emil Audero Mulyadi earned the best save of the year award thanks to his action against Australia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The event also puts a spotlight on young talent. Marselino Ferdinan was selected as the Men's Best Young Player, while Claudia Scheunemann won the title of the Women's Best Young Player. For the Best Female Performer category, the award fell to Safira Ika Putri.
In addition, awards are also given to various elements of national football supporters, from referees, assistant referees, early age coaching programs, to supporters. The grassroots development program through MilkLife Soccer is also appreciated as part of efforts to build the foundation of Indonesian women's soccer.
PSSI General Chairman Erick Thohir confirmed that PSSI Awards 2026 is a form of appreciation for the people of domestic football. He said the event involved the participation of the public in determining the winners.
Indonesian national team coach John Herdman also took part in the reading of the nominations. Meanwhile, Nova coach Arianto judged the presence of this award to be an important momentum.
“After 95 years, there is finally an awards event like this. It makes the players even more motivated to give their best,” Nova said.
PSSI Awards 2026 will be the inaugural edition of the official awards of the federation providing a comprehensive appreciation for Indonesian football players, from player level to grassroots development.
Here is the complete list of 17 recipients of the PSSI Awards 2026:
1. Assist of the Year: Yakob Sayuri
2. Men's Young Player of the Year: Marselino Ferdinan
3. Football Development Program of the Year: Indonesian Student Gala
4. Men's Goalkeeper of the Year: Maarten Paes
5. Women's Goalkeeper of the Year: Iris De Rouw
6. Assistant Referee of the Year: Fuad Qohar
7. PSSI Provincial Association of the Year: Asprov PSSI East Java
8. Man Behind the Jersey of the Year: Setyo Putro Nugroho
9. Referee of the Year: Thoriq Munir Al Katiri
10. Women's Player of the Year: Safira Ika Putri
11. Save of the Year: Emil Audero Mulyadi
12. Grassroots Development of the Year: MilkLife Soccer
13. Supporter of the Year: Alm. Mas Katon
14. Women's Young Player of the Year: Claudia Scheunemann
15. Goal of the Year: Rizky Ridho
16. Legend of the Year: Tan Liong Houw
17. Men's Player of the Year: Jay Idzes
In addition, there are two special award categories given to major contributors, namely sponsors and official broadcaster partners. On the sponsorship side were Tony Wenas (Freeport), Kelvin Wijaya (Kelme Indonesia), and Dicky Kristianto (Bank Mandiri). The Official Broadcaster Partner is Sutanto Hartono (Emtek)
