Who's afraid of 'El Loco?'

MANILA, Philippines - Naturalized player Cristian Gonzales of Uruguay, known as “El Loco,” will be a marked man for sure when the Philippines takes on Indonesia in the two-match Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup semifinals at the 88,000-seat Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Dec. 16 and 19.

But it won’t be easy holding down the star striker whose career in the Indonesian league has been tainted by incidents of headbutting a player, beating up an opposing coach, spitting at a referee and scuffling on the field. In all, Gonzales has been penalized for five offenses by the Indonesian league since 2003.

Gonzales’ volatility is his trademark. Indonesian fans go crazy when he’s raving and ranting on the pitch. More than his legendary temper, “El Loco” has gained a reputation as a dangerous goal-maker.

 “The man to watch is Gonzales,” said former Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president and AFF vice president Johnny Romualdez who served as the AFF supervisor for Indonesia’s three Suzuki Cup wins over Malaysia, 5-1, Laos, 6-0, and Thailand, 2-1, enroute to the semifinals. “He’s 5-10, barrel-chested and very experienced. Gonzales doesn’t keep the ball long. He’s a target for long balls because he’s very good in the air. But I’m confident our central defenders Aly Borromeo and Rob Gier, who are also very good in the air, will hold their ground.”

Gonzales, 34, is a four-time Liga Indonesia top scorer. Last Nov. 3, the Montevideo native was issued an Indonesian passport as a naturalized citizen after a six-year wait. He is married to Eva Nurida Siregar, an Indonesian, and converted to Islam in 2003, taking the name Mustafa Habibi. Gonzales has two children, Fernando and Florencia, with Siregar and two children, Amanda and Michael, with another woman.

 “Gonzales is one of the most lethal strikers in the history of Indonesian football,” noted a Wikipedia profile. “His ability to kick, score, position, (use) game vision and (execute the) header is his talent. Besides his ability, he also has a good physique. When playing in Uruguay, he was assigned to be an attacking midfielder. His productivity was not at his best before finally, moving to Indonesia and joining PSM Makassar with a free transfer status. From there, he proved his quality as a power attacker.”

Gonzales persevered in patiently waiting for his Indonesian citizenship and even missed his father’s funeral in Uruguay to establish residence. He was sensational in his Indonesian national team debut, booting in two goals in a 6-0 rout of Timor Leste last Nov. 21. Gonzales plays for Persib Bandung in the Indonesian league and reportedly earns the equivalent of P6 million a year.

Aside from Gonzales, Indonesian coach Alfred Riedl of Austria leans on skipper Bambang Pamungkas, a prolific striker in his own right with over 30 goals in his international career. Other standouts in the team are goalkeeper Markus Maulana, forward Irfan Bachdim, defenders Maman Abdurahman and Muhammad Ridwan and midfielder Firman Utina.

In three Suzuki Cup matches this year, seven Indonesians have knocked in goals – Gonzales, Ridwan (2), Arif Suyono (2), Bachdim (3), Utina (2), Oktovianus Maniani and Pamungkas (2). It was the 30-year-old Pamungkas who scored twice, both on penalties, against Thailand. Bachdim, 22, is Indonesian-Dutch who has played for Ajax in the Dutch league.

 “Their wings are very fast, both left and right,” said Romualdez. “The midfielders are hard workers, looking to tackle incessantly. They don’t give the opposing forwards a chance to dribble. They’re veteran workhorses. Their goalkeeper is tall, almost six feet. But he’s not as good as ours. Our goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is probably the best in the tournament. When he kicks, it’s like a pass to our side of the pitch, near the penalty area.”

Riedl, 61, knows the nuances of Asian football, having coached Vietnam in 1998-2001, 2003-04 and 2005-07 and Laos in 2009-10. A former Austrian national player, he also saw action in Belgium and France. Riedl has coached the national teams of Austria, Liechtenstein, Palestine, Vietnam and Laos before moving to Indonesia this year.

Indonesia is in the record books as the first Asian team to qualify for the World Cup in 1938. It has never won the AFF Suzuki Cup, previously known as the Tiger Cup, but came close thrice with second place finishes in 2000, 2002 and 2004. Indonesia won two Southeast Asian Games gold medals in football in 1987 and 1991.

In head-to-head matches, Indonesia has beaten the Philippines in 16 of 17 matches, scoring a total of 78 goals and giving up only seven.

Gonzales is the oldest and Maniani, 20, the youngest in the Indonesian team.

In the other Suzuki Cup semifinal pairing, Vietnam and Malaysia slug it out on Dec. 15 and 18. The semifinal winners advance to play in the two-match finals on Dec. 26 and 29.

The semifinals and finals are played on a home-and-away basis. Hanoi will host the Dec. 15 match and Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 18. The Philippines forfeited its right to host because no venue meets the AFF standards although Romualdez said an exception could’ve been made through an appeal. Jakarta will host both semifinal matches.