Gazendra Prayata: A Talented Footballer Refined by Futsal, Dad, and Messi!
Full of laughter and smiling, that’s the vibe that comes from Gazendra Prayata, an 11-year-old football player from Jakarta.
“I like football because it’s fun and enjoyable,” explains Gazendra. A 6th-grade student from SDN Sukabumi Utara 04 Pagi, West Jakarta, he says he first got into football, specifically futsal, when he was 6 years old.
Zendra started everything from futsal. This indoor mini-football sport was the birthplace of this skilled player. The narrow field makes players have to be creative, something that’s very valuable when they move to a larger field.
“Futsal is more tiring because it’s back and forth, but it’s easier to score a goal, it’s a bit harder on the big field,” says Zendra.
Learning from Dad, Messi, and Real Madrid!
Coincidentally, Gazendra’s dad, Mulyana, is a fan of the English football club, Manchester United. Mulyana noticed his son’s talent and taught him how to play.
Although his father has been a Manchester United fan since David Beckham was still playing there, Gazendra admires the Spanish club Real Madrid. However, when it comes to his favorite player, the 145cm tall youth admires Lionel Messi.
“Because (Messi) plays well, has good tactics. From the bench, he can become a key player,” says Zendra, who is commonly referred to as Zendra.
Like most professional players, Messi started his career at FC Barcelona as a substitute with the number 30. At the time, number 10 at Barcelona was Ronaldinho, a Brazilian player who later became a kind of “teacher” for Messi in developing his football skills.
In addition to being inspired by Messi’s story starting from the bench, Gazendra also has a playing style similar to the 2022 World Cup-winning Argentine legend.
A Strong Candidate for Cutting Inside Playing Style
If young Messi was a right-sided winger, Gazendra Prayata is the opposite. He doesn’t play as a winger, but instead on the left side.
In modern football, this tactic is often used. If a player has speed, dribbling, and good goal-scoring ability, they can more easily do it from a different side of the field from their stronger foot or by cutting inside (penetrating from a different side).
For local players, Zendra likes Marselino Ferdinand, an Indonesian U-19 national team midfielder who once played for Persebaya as a starting player in his first season and won the Best Young Player award in the 2021–2022 Liga 1 season. Now, Marselino is trying his luck in Belgium, specifically a Division B club named Deinze.
Join the NYXS Dream Team!
Just like Marselino, it turns out Gazendra Prayata has already played abroad. He was included in the 12 Indonesian kids strengthening the NYXS Dream Team Indonesia and sent to the U-12 TicTac Cup tournament held in Spain at the end of 2022.
At the time, Zendra and friends added to their international experience by facing junior teams from SL Benfica, RC Deportivo, and FC Barcelona. This is clearly a valuable experience for his future.
“We got to know how foreign players play. They’re good. They have good tactics, good shots, and they can control their emotions,” said Zendra with enthusiasm.
Currently, Zendra plays for the Binaan Palmerah Football School (SSB) in West Jakarta. For 2023, he targets to enter the Ragunan Sports Special School (SKO). Afterward, Zendra wants to join the national team and have a career abroad.
As a form of concern for athlete development, NYXS provides support to young athletes like Zendra to continue developing their careers in the future. Let’s support Gazendra Prayata together with NYXS to achieve even higher achievements!
Gazendra Prayata’s Achievements:
- Talented by NYXS to go to Barcelona (BLISPI Road To Barcelona At Sentul Jakarta)
- Top 15th Tic Tac Cup (NYXS Dream Team Indonesia at Barcelona)
