Alex Pastoor Considered by Former Club Before Choosing Indonesia's National Team

Before opting to join the Indonesian national football team, Alex Pastoor was reportedly considered for a return to Almere City, his former club. Almere City, which currently sits near the bottom of the Eredivisie standings, had just parted ways with Hedwiges Maduro, who was the club's head coach.



Maduro had been Alex Pastoor's assistant at Almere City from November 2021 to June 2023, before moving to Ajax Amsterdam to work under head coach John van't Schip. Despite their collaboration, Maduro couldn't improve the team's performance, which saw Almere City finish 13th in their first-ever Eredivisie season last year. He was dismissed after only winning one of the last 16 matches.

Pastoor had left Almere City at the end of the previous season for a break from football, stating in April 2024 that he wanted to take time off and explore how he could enjoy football in a different way. He expressed interest in taking on a top-level project, something he had not experienced before. It turns out that his new role would be as an assistant coach to Patrick Kluivert with Indonesia’s national team.