Indonesian Prodigy Egy Vikri Joins Poland's Lechia Gdansk
Jakarta. Indonesian prodigy Egy Maulana Vikri has signed a three-year contract with top Polish football club Lechia Gdańsk.
"Egy Maulana Vikri will become the new player of Lechia Gdańsk. The club has reached an agreement with the Indonesian Ragunan Athletes Academy regarding the transfer, which will take effect from July 8, 2018," Lechia said on its official website on Sunday (11/03).
The 17-year-old player was accompanied by former Indonesian under-19 national team coach Indra Sjafri in Poland on Sunday to sign the contract and attend a press conference.
Lechia sports director Janusz Melaniuk said the club had its eye on Egy for a long time, including when he played in the 2017 Toulon Tournament, which subsequently saw him try out for French club Saint Etienne in the same year.
Lechia is currently in 13th position on the table of Poland's top-tier football league, Ekstraklasa.
"I am glad that I joined Lechia Gdańsk. I've learned a lot about my new club and I'm happy to be part of it. I think Poland and Lechia are great places for me to grow and I promise to adapt quickly to European football and work hard every day," Egy said after signing the contract.
Egy, dubbed the Indonesian Messi, caught the eyes of European football agents when he won the prestigious Jouer Revelation Trophy during his appearance in Toulon, despite his team – Indonesia's under-19 – having failed to score any points in the tournament. Egy has since joined the ranks of previous trophy recipients, such as global football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.
British newspaper The Guardian included Egy in its "Next Generation 2017" list of the world's 60 best young football talents in October last year. The list also included Vinícius Júnior of Real Madrid.
Egy, who usually plays as striker or wing forward, attracted lots of attention in 2016 with his 28 goals in 10 matches in the Gothia Cup in Sweden, which helped grassroots Indonesian club Asiop Apacinti win the trophy.
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