He started his career in the 1998-99 season with his hometown team,
PSIS Semarang, although he never played in the first-team. He moved to
Persijatim Sriwijaya and was on the roster for two seasons but never played. In 2002, he moved to the capital,
Jakarta, to play with
Persija Jakarta, where he recorded 23 appearances and scored one goal. This attracted the attention of other clubs, including
Persikota Tangerang. He moved to
Tangerang and remained there for two seasons, playing in 40 games and scoring 20 goals. His future looked bright, as one of the main strikers for the
Indonesia national football team. He moved in 2004 to
Persebaya Surabaya, but failed to impress—8 appearances and two goals—so he was sold to
Arema Malang at the end of the season. With Arema, Doni played sporadically: eleven caps and four goals. He remained with
Persib Bandung in 2006, then, the same year, moved to lower-division
Persitara Jakarta Utara, where, as the main striker, he played regularly and scored four goals. ==International career==