Radja Nainggolan was born on 4 May 1988 and is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie C club SPAL.
21 Facts About Radja Nainggolan
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Radja Nainggolan made 367 appearances and scored 48 goals in Serie A, being named four consecutive times in its Team of the Year.
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Radja Nainggolan was born in Antwerp, the son of Lizy Bogaerts, a Belgian of Flemish ethnicity who raised him with his three half brothers and his twin sister, and Marianus Radja Nainggolan, an Indonesian of Batak background and member of the Batak Christian Protestant Church.
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Radja Nainggolan was raised in Kiel, a working-class and multicultural neighbourhood of the city.
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Radja Nainggolan's father abandoned the family when Radja was still a child.
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Radja Nainggolan's mother died in 2010, and after her death he tattooed two large wings on his back with her dates of birth and death.
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Radja Nainggolan was raised Roman Catholic and speaks Dutch, English, French and Italian fluently.
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Radja Nainggolan began playing football with Tubantia Borgerhout at the age of 5.
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Radja Nainggolan made his senior debut on 28 May 2006 during a home defeat to Arezzo, being inserted permanently into the first team the following season.
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On 27 January 2010, Radja Nainggolan was loaned to Cagliari with a buyout clause.
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In early October 2013, after three seasons as an undisputed first-choice, Radja Nainggolan agreed to an extension until 2016.
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Radja Nainggolan returned to the Sardegna Arena on 31 December 2020, again on loan.
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Radja Nainggolan earned his first senior cap on 29 May 2009, against Chile in the Kirin Cup.
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On 13 May 2014, Radja Nainggolan was selected in a standby list for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Radja Nainggolan was a starter for the Marc Wilmots-led side during the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
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On 26 August 2017, aged 29, Radja Nainggolan announced that he would be retiring from international football after not being selected for Belgium's upcoming World Cup qualifiers, and stated that he would be focusing on his club career with Roma.
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On 21 May 2018, after not being picked for the upcoming World Cup in Russia, Radja Nainggolan retired from the international scene.
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Radja Nainggolan is a quick, dynamic, hard-working, physically strong and versatile midfielder, who is capable of playing in several midfield positions; possessing good vision, passing range, and technique, he is often used as a playmaker in front of his team's defensive line.
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Radja Nainggolan is known for his attacking drive, ability to get forward and eye for goal from midfield, courtesy of his powerful and accurate striking ability from distance, as well as his movement and ability to make late attacking runs off the ball; his talent, energy, skill, and wide range of attributes led to him being used in a more offensive role as an advanced playmaker behind the two forwards during his time with Cagliari.
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Radja Nainggolan has been used in a more central or attacking role on occasion, or even as a false attacking midfielder.
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Radja Nainggolan's twin sister, Riana, is a footballer; she is openly lesbian and he spoke out against homophobia.