Rachmat Irianto chose to stand aside while his teammates were busy celebrating Persebaya Surabaya's victory after winning the 2026 President's Cup at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadiums.
Rather than getting carried away by the celebration, the Surabaya native avoided the crowd. He calmly applauded as a token of appreciation.
This attitude reflects Irianto's spirit of fair play and his deep respect for Persib Bandung. The club that lost the final was his former team for three years, starting in 2022, during which he won two Indonesian League titles.
However, beneath his mature demeanor lies a deeply personal story. Amidst his teammates proudly wearing their medals and championship uniforms, Irianto stands out.
The player, affectionately known as Rian, wore a black t-shirt featuring the face of the late Bejo Sugiantoro, complete with the word "Legend." Bejo, a Bajul Ijo legend and Irianto's biological father, passed away in February of last year. Rian dedicated this historic moment to his father.
After the match, Rian posted a photo on his personal Instagram account. It wasn't a photo of him lifting the President's Cup trophy or celebrating with his teammates.
Instead, he chose a photo of himself and his father from their time together at Persebaya. Irianto is embraced by his father, both smiling happily. The photo was taken during the 2018/2019 season. Rian was a player, while his father was on the coaching staff.
Along with the post, he expressed his gratitude to the figure who introduced him to football and became the biggest inspiration in his life.
"I came, I said, I kept my promise. Persebaya is the champion, yeah," wrote Rian, accompanied by a green heart emoji, Persebaya's proud color.
That simple sentence felt so profound. It's possible his words referred to a promise he once made to his father to lead Persebaya to success, specifically to become champions again.
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