The naturalized goalkeeper of the Indonesian national team officially joins Ajax

Ajax club officially confirmed the signing of the Indonesian national team’s naturalized goalkeeper, Maarten Paes, on Monday evening (February 2, 2026).

The 27-year-old goalkeeper left FC Dallas in the MLS and signed a long-term contract until June 30, 2029. This transfer marks Paes’s return to Europe and his homeland, the Netherlands, after several seasons playing in the United States.

Ajax, FC Dallas, and Maarten Paes have reached an agreement on the transfer. Previously, Paes was contracted with the Texas club until the end of this year. However, Ajax moved quickly to recruit him to strengthen their goalkeeper lineup.

Paes was born in Nijmegen on May 14, 1998, and currently represents the Indonesian national team. His reputation has grown significantly within the Indonesian football community since his official debut for Indonesia in 2024. His presence at Ajax has attracted attention not only in the Netherlands but also in Indonesia. Paes has become a national football icon.

Before moving to FC Dallas in the summer of 2022, Paes built his career in the Eredivisie with NEC Nijmegen and FC Utrecht. This extensive experience in the Dutch league was a key factor in Ajax’s assessment of Paes as a ready and mature player to reinforce their squad.

Ajax’s sporting director, Marijn Beuker, revealed that the transfer was completed quickly after specific interest arose in the current goalkeeper Remko Pasveer. Ajax did not want to miss the opportunity and promptly signed the best option they had been monitoring for a long time.

“As soon as we received serious interest regarding Remko Pasveer, we acted immediately. We have followed Maarten for many seasons and are very pleased to finally bring him to Ajax,” Beuker stated.

According to Beuker, Ajax was specifically looking for an experienced, stable, and reliable goalkeeper for the long term. He said Paes met all these criteria.

“Our goal was to find an experienced and dependable goalkeeper, and Maarten exceeded our expectations. He trains hard, is a true teammate, and possesses top-level sportsmanship. All these qualities perfectly match the goalkeeper profile we were seeking,” he added.

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