Maarten Paes: From Potential to Winning Mentality
In the unforgiving worlds of the Eredivisie and MLS, goalkeepers either grow up fast or get left behind. Maarten Paes has clearly chosen the first option.
Years of travel, pressure and scrutiny have hardened his outlook. They have also stripped away whatever was left of youthful vanity. For Paes, the conversation now begins and ends with one thing: winning.
“Everything that has happened in my career has happened for a reason. I've grown and matured a lot because of it,” he told FIFA, reflecting on a journey that has taken him from domestic leagues to the international stage.
That growth is most obvious in how he talks about himself. Or rather, how little he wants to.
“My ego isn't that important any more. I just want to contribute as much as possible to the team. My main goal is to win, both with the national team and at club level.”
There is no hint of a keeper obsessed with personal highlight reels or individual awards. His gaze is fixed firmly on collective glory, and on what the upcoming FIFA-backed tournament can do for his country and his region.
“It's a positive development, not just for Indonesia but for every participating country. It will raise the level of Southeast Asian football,” he said, framing the competition as a catalyst rather than a mere event on the calendar.
That mindset has been sharpened in elite surroundings. At the Johan Cruyff Arena, Paes has been immersed in a culture where winning is non-negotiable and standards are set daily on the training pitch. Sharing that environment with Germany international Marc-André ter Stegen has only intensified his drive.
On the international front, the battle is no less fierce. Under head coach John Herdman, Paes finds himself in a demanding, but balanced, fight with Emil Audero for the No. 1 shirt. It is exactly the sort of contest he believes a serious national team needs.
“The better the competition you face, the more it pushes you to become the best version of yourself,” he insisted. That is not a soundbite; it is how he now measures his own progress.
Any notion of a personal feud with Audero gets short shrift. Paes keeps dragging the discussion back to Garuda and to the bigger picture.
“The older I get, the more important it is to me that Garuda win - not me or Emil,” he said, cutting through the usual narrative of keepers locked in rivalry. The badge comes first. Everything else is noise.
His ambitions are crystal clear. He wants a trophy in his hands, and he wants to feel the weight of it in front of his own people.
“For me, the goal is to win the trophy. I'd love to lift the title in front of our own supporters and repay them for all the support they've given us over the past few years.”
That image drives him: a packed home stadium, a cup raised high, years of backing finally rewarded. But Paes is thinking beyond one celebration. He sees this regional tournament as a launchpad.
“The first goal is to win the trophy here and build a really positive feeling going into the Asian Cup,” he concluded.
For a goalkeeper once defined by potential, the message is now blunt. The time for learning curves is over. The time for silverware has arrived.
