Kleve – The newcomer not only plays for VfR Warbeyen in the Second Bundesliga, but also represents the Indonesian national team. However, to make her dream of playing on the international stage come true, she had to make a difficult decision. This is her story.
That some players of VfR Warbeyen are occasionally called up for training camps or internationals with their national team is no longer a new phenomenon at the second division club. As the club's women have worked their way up to a higher sporting level step by step, the number of players who have appeared on the radar of (youth) national teams from their home countries has also increased. Isa Warps is one of those players. But on her way to the national shirt, she had to make a difficult decision.
This year, VfR Warbeyen's summer signing got the chance to represent Indonesia on the international stage. Isa's father is half-Indonesian and born in the Netherlands, while her grandmother comes from Padang on the island of Sumatra.
At her previous club, Dutch Eredivisie side NAC Breda, however, her interest in the national team was not received with much enthusiasm – quite the opposite. The club management gave Warps a choice: either finish the season at Breda or leave the team.
"I chose the national team because it fulfills a big dream for me. I see it as an enormous opportunity for my future – even after my football career," says the 20-year-old.
But such a double life is not easy. Since February, when her teammate Narjiss Ahamad flew back from the Moroccan national team to Germany within one morning to still play in a league match against SGS Essen II, everyone at the club knows how much effort it takes to commit to both club and country. Yet few players would pass up such a unique opportunity. Isa Warps seized her moment.
At the end of June, she made her debut for the Indonesian national team. In the 1-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan during the qualifying round for the 2026 Asian Championship, Isa Warps even scored the winning goal. She also appeared in four other matches, including against Pakistan and Taiwan.
"Unfortunately, we could not qualify for the Asian Championship. As a team, we still need to grow and develop more chemistry," explains Warps, who plans to spend a few weeks in Indonesia next year to get to know the country better outside of football.
Her comments about team chemistry in the national team also apply to the current situation at VfR Warbeyen. In home games, the promoted team has already shown several times what potential there is in the team – most recently in the 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Away from home, however, things are still a bit tougher. The team currently has three clear defeats behind them. Nevertheless, Isa Warps scored her first goal for VfR Warbeyen in the 1-7 defeat against SC Sand. In the home match against FC Bayern Munich II (1-2), she also provided an assist; her speed comes into its own especially on the wings.
"Especially in the match against Bayern, we really held our own despite the defeat. I am confident that we will get our first win soon. We are working very hard," says Warps, who secured a place in the VfR Warbeyen squad through several trial sessions.
She enjoys the level in the Second Bundesliga: "It's very intense here. I see it as a great opportunity to learn a lot and develop myself further."
Recently, Warps has also been deployed more often in the center. "Normally I play more as a winger, but because we play here with two strikers, I have moved a bit more to the middle. I think I can help the team with my confidence and technical skills," says Isa Warps.
The article was published in the Rheinische Post newspaper.
