Maarten Paes: A Goalkeeper's Journey to Team Success

The journey has hardened him. Eredivisie battles, MLS miles, long flights, and short turnarounds have stripped away the frills and left Maarten Paes with a simple, unshakable creed: the team comes first.

At this stage of his career, the goalkeeper no longer measures himself in saves for the highlight reel or personal accolades. The metric is trophies. For club. For country. Nothing else.

“Everything that has happened in my career has happened for a reason. I've grown and matured a lot because of it,” he told FIFA, reflecting on the path that has taken him from Europe to North America and into the heart of Indonesia’s ambitions.

The words land with the weight of experience rather than cliché. Paes is not selling a brand; he is explaining a shift.

“My ego isn't that important any more. I just want to contribute as much as possible to the team. My main goal is to win, both with the national team and at club level.”

That recalibration defines him now. Where once a young keeper might have chased status, Paes talks about structure, standards, and shared responsibility. He sees the upcoming FIFA-backed regional tournament not as a showcase for himself, but as a lever to lift an entire region.

“It's a positive development, not just for Indonesia but for every participating country. It will raise the level of Southeast Asian football,” he said, casting his eye beyond the immediate campaign.

That broader view has been sharpened in elite surroundings. Day after day at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Paes has watched and worked alongside one of the game’s most meticulous professionals in Marc-André ter Stegen. Training in that environment has hardened his competitive edge and clarified what “winning mentality” really means.

Internationally, that edge is tested by a demanding duel for the No. 1 shirt. Under head coach John Herdman, Paes and Emil Audero are locked in a high-level contest that could easily turn bitter. He refuses to let it.

“The better the competition you face, the more it pushes you to become the best version of yourself,” he insisted.

That is not a throwaway line. It is a deliberate reframing of rivalry into fuel. Paes makes it clear the battle is not Paes v Audero; it is Indonesia v everyone else.

“The older I get, the more important it is to me that Garuda win – not me or Emil.”

The message is unmistakable: the badge matters more than the name on the teamsheet.

Around him, a football nation is stirring. Packed stands, surging noise, red shirts and flags turning stadiums into cauldrons. Paes knows exactly what it would mean to deliver a trophy in that setting.

“For me, the goal is to win the trophy. I'd love to lift the title in front of our own supporters and repay them for all the support they've given us over the past few years.”

This is not the end point in his mind, just the first marker. He views the regional competition as a launchpad, not a destination.

“The first goal is to win the trophy here and build a really positive feeling going into the Asian Cup,” he concluded.

The ambition is clear, the stakes even clearer: turn a home tournament into a statement, then carry that momentum onto the continental stage.