Since making his name with Cagliari, Radja Nainggolan has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Italian league. His aggressive and never-saying attitude makes him an ideal part of his team’s defensive play. His tremendous stamina and driving from deep add another dimension to his team’s offensive play. His long shots have helped him score important goals. The fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve and says what he feels rather than making PR statements has helped him delight fans of the club he represents.

Born name

Raja Nainggolan

nickname

Radja, He Ninja

Sun sign

Trails

Place of birth

Antwerp, Belgium

nationality

training

Radja Nainggolan started honing his skills in the Belgian club’s youth academy, Germinal Beerschot .

occupation

Professional soccer player

family

• Vater – Marianus Nainggolan
• Mutter – Lizy Bogaerts
• Siblings – Riana Nainggolan (twin sister), Manuel Noboa (half brother). He also has two other half brothers.

Manager

Radja Nainggolan is represented by Alessandro Beltrami.

Position

midfield player

Shirt Number

21, 23 – Piacenza FC

4 – Cagliari Calcio, AS Rom

28-Cagliari Calcio

44 – AS Roma

14 – Inter Milan

To build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 9½ inches or 176 cm

weight

71 kg or 156.5 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Radja Nainggolan hat datiert –

1. Claudia Nainggolan (2011-present) – In 2011, Radja married his girlfriend Claudia. They’ve been together for quite a long time. During the course of their marriage, she had also given birth to their daughter. In June 2018, he admitted to having been unfaithful to his wife a couple of times. He claimed it was difficult to turn down advances when you were regularly approached by beautiful women.

race/ethnicity

multiracial

On his father’s side, he has Indonesian Batak ancestry while on his mother’s side, he is of Flemish descent.

hair colour

Dark Brown (Natural)

He is very fond of highlighting and coloring his hair, with “blonde” and “pink” being his favorite colors.

eye color

Green

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• He has a large rose tattoo on his neck.
• Eye-catching Mohawk hairstyle

brand promotion

Radja Nainggolan has signed an endorsement deal with Nike . Due to his contractual allegations, he is required to wear Nike shoes for his professional matches.

Religion

He grew up in a devout Roman Catholic household.

Known for

• As one of the most comprehensive central midfielders in the European league. He is adept at assisting his team in both attacking and defensive play. His versatility allows him to excel at various roles in midfield.
• He played for the major Italian leagues AS Roma and Inter Milan. He made over 200 appearances for the former before switching to the latter.

First football game

In May 2006, he made his professional debut with Piacenza in an Italian Serie B match against Arezzo. However, he lost on his debut.

In January 2014, he made his first start for AS Roma in the Coppa Italia game against Sampdoria. He led his team to a 1–0 win and to the quarter-finals of the cup.

In September 2018, Nainggolan made his first appearance for Inter Milan in an away game against Bologna. He scored his side’s 3-0 win.

In May 2009 he made his international debut for Belgium in the Kirin Cup against Chile.

First TV show

In 2018 Radja Nainggolan made his first TV appearance in Gers, Jenne & Rob: Dag 3 episode of comedy talk show, Gert Late Night .

Radja Nainggolan Fact

1. Radja Nainggolan is a rare player in modern day sanitized football where players are very careful about voicing their views. Radja has earned a reputation for making piercing and sophisticated statements.
2. He has often publicly acknowledged that he loves partying and enjoys nightlife. He has made it clear that he has no intention of adopting the professional lifestyle of spending all his time in training and at home.
3. He and his siblings were raised by his mother alone after his father left the family. She had to work three different jobs to make ends meet in the poor and tough neighborhood of Antwerp.
4. At the age of 5 he started his football career with Tubantia Borgerhout. He played with the team for 7 years.
5. When he was 17, he caught the attention of Italian agent Alessandro Beltrami, who decided to transfer him to the Italian side, Piacenza.
6. In January 2010 he moved to Cagliari on loan. The club management were so impressed with his performance that they decided to purchase 50% of his rights under a co-ownership deal after he had only completed seven performances.
7. In October 2013 he signed a contract extension with Cagliari to extend his stay at the club until 2016. However, he was gone by the beginning of the following year.
8. In January 2014 he left the Sardinian club when he joined Roma for 6 months. Roma had to pay €3m for the loan and decided to pay €9m in the summer to sign him permanently.
9. He was so popular with Cagliari fans that they gave him a standing ovation when he first returned with Roma to play at their stadium.
10. In February 2014, he scored his first goal for AS Roma as he helped his side win the game against Bologna 1–0.
11. In August 2017, he announced that he was retiring from international football. He had announced it because he hadn’t been picked for Belgium’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
12. In November 2017, he decided to overturn his decision after being called up for the friendlies by Roberto Martinez. But he had to drop out due to an injury.
13. When he was spoken to by Roberto Martinez in his criticism of the Spaniard, he didn’t hold back and even dragged his teammates like Axel Witsel into the conversation by favoring them.
14. He was embroiled in a controversy over the New Year’s Eve 2018 after posting a video of himself drinking, smoking and swearing on Instagram. He initially dismissed all criticism before eventually deciding to issue an apology.
15. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.