“Bambang Pamungkas Autobiography”

Bambang Pamungkas20

Bambang Pamungkas was born in Getas, Center Java on June 10th 1980, also known as Bepe. He is a son of Mr. H. Misranto and Mrs.Hj. Suriptinah. He had married with Tribuana Tungga Dewi and has 3 daughter. They are Salsa Alicia, Jane Abel, and Syaura Abana.

He is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays for Persija Jakarta in the Indonesia Super League and previously the Indonesia National Football team. His natural position is striker. Bambang Pamungkas known as a striker with a header and accurate kicks away. 

In the beginning, Bambang never thought to be a footballer. He likes reading and cooking, and dreams of becoming a teacher or a chef. He has ambitions to become a teacher or a chef once his footballing career is over. However, Bambang talent honed since he followed the SSB (Soccer School) Ungaran Match in 1988. His natural talent to make clubs interested to sign him Persikas Semarang in 1992. While still a youth team playing in Central Java, he had been named as the best player Haornas Cup, a championship youth level.

Since then, interest in football Bambang increasing rapidly. He was even willing to quit his studies in the second half for a serious career in football.

Bambang played for several clubs around his hometown as a youth, before beginning his senior career with Persija Jakarta. He was the club's top goalscorer in 1999–2000 Liga Indonesia with 24 goals. In 2000, he joined EHC Norad in the Dutch Third Division. But after only 4 months he returned to Persija. Bambang didn’t really lift when defending Persija on 1999. Although in his first season Persija defense, a player who is familiarly called Bepe only netted two goals.

His ability smell by a talent scout from the Dutch football club, EHC Norad. Bambang was loaned by Persija to the club who play in division 3 of this Dutch league. However Bepe only lasted a few months there, because of family problems and his failure to adjust to the cold European climate.

At the beginning of the 2001 season, he returned to Persija. Bambang helped his club to win the Liga Indonesia in 2001, and he was awarded the accolade of that season's best player. Persija Jakarta narrowly missed out on winning the championship again in 2004 by one point. The following season Persija reached the 2005 final, but lost 2–3 to Persipura Jayapura.

The triumphant appearance with Persija make Bepe called upon to defend Indonesia's senior national team. Bambang made his name in South East Asian football when he scored the only goal for Indonesia at the 2002 Tiger Cup semifinal against Malaysia, and was the tournament's top scorer with eight goals. Bambang was also the top scorer for the squad Indonesia in Asia Cup U-19 Group V, with 7 goals.

Bambang is considered to be an outstanding header of the ball, and has a reputation for sharpness in the penalty box. He earned 85 caps and 37 goals with the Indonesia National team, and is perhaps the team's most popular player among its supporters. He is considered as one of top ten Asian players of 2012 by ESPN Soccernet. He was staying as a striker at the time the future of Indonesia, replacing his idol, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto. 3 years Bambang Pamungkas become an irreplaceable figure in the front line team of Red and White.

But in 2004, some of injuries couldn’t make Bambang’s perform excellent in the core national team squad. Finally his name was excluded from the core of the 2004 Tiger Cup squad.

Bambang was 'moved' to Malaysia to play one of the elite club circuitry neighbor country, Selangor FC. Bambang shining brightly in the land of Malaysia. In his first season in Selangor FC, he became the club's top scorer with a notch 22 goals in all competitions.

In his first season in Malaysia he won the Premier League Malaysia, FA Cup Malaysia, and Malaysia Cup, and became the league's top-scorer with 23 goals in 24 matches. During two seasons in Malaysia he scrored 63 goals in four competitions: Malaysia Premier League, Malaysia Super League, FA Cup Malaysia, Malaysia Cup, AFC Cup. Despite having scored a total of 158 goals in Liga Indonesia, like Singaporean forward Indra Sahdan Daud, Bambang lost his place in the nation team to foreign-born talent.

At the beginning of the 2007 season, Bepe returned to Indonesia and played in the club where he made his name, Persija. Bepe went back to fill the front lines of Indonesia's National team.

On 2008, English club Derby County was interested him. On 2010 he had a trial at New Zealand club Wellington Phoenix FC, but failed to secure a contract. On 9 December 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Pelita Bandung Raya. On 3 December 2014, he moved back to Persija Jakarta.

Bambang devotes some of his free time to charity work, promoting the Bambang Pamungkas Foundation that he set up to provide financial assistance and resources to schools in Indonesia. He is also involved in raising funds for children's cancer charities.

As a well-known public figure, Bambang has appeared in many product endorsements, including for Biskuat, Ti Phone, Nike, Bodrex, Nivea men, etc.

Bambang has written some books in Bahasa Indonesia, Ketika Jemariku Menari, Bepe Pride, Trilogi cerpen in his site, and become a sport motivator, relating his life, his career, and his teammates at club and national level, especially during the AFF 2010 campaign. Former Indonesia national team manager Ivan Venkov Kolev comments in the book that Bambang is "One striker rare in Indonesia. Commitment and professionalism are hallmarks of rare skill players in Indonesia".