'My parents are proud of me'

With this spectacular goal, Phan Hoai Nam was also voted Man of the Match. The striker, born in 2002, couldn't hide his emotions: "I was truly overwhelmed when I scored a goal to contribute to the team's overall result. This goal will also help me gain confidence and give me more motivation to keep trying and playing better in the upcoming matches."

Tiền đạo đội Trường ĐH Tôn Đức Thắng: 'Ba mẹ tự hào về tôi'- Ảnh 1. — Phan Hoài Nam *(right)* contributed to bringing the Ton Duc Thang University team to the quarterfinals.

Besides that, Hoai Nam didn't forget to mention his family: "My parents are watching at home and must be very proud of me, especially my father." Nam shared that he hasn't let his parents down. Now, the civil engineering student (Ton Duc Thang University) is balancing his studies with being a skilled football player. The striker from Gia Lai recounted: "I started playing football at the age of 9, playing with friends in the village on the fields and coffee plantations. My father noticed my talent for the sport. He himself had been a player for the Dak Lak provincial youth team, but couldn't become a professional. Therefore, he hoped I would continue his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He took me to many places to try out for youth football academies like HAGL, Viettel , and PVF. After failing the tryouts at the team from the mountain town, he took me to other places, and I eventually passed the tests at Viettel and PVF. At that point, he decided to let me join the PVF Academy."

Hoài Nam said he went to Ho Chi Minh City to train at the PVF academy, but only stayed for three months during the summer before returning home because he failed the tests. At that time, he was very sad because he thought he couldn't make his father happy. "My father realized that I had done my best, so he encouraged me a lot. I was sad for a while, but then I quickly regained my spirits to focus on my studies," he expressed.

Hoài Nam further shared that he had thought a lot about choosing a university. And once again, his parents stood by him to help him make the right decision. The civil engineering student shared: "My parents let me choose which university to attend, and they also supported me in choosing a university with a strong football program to easily fulfill my passion for football. From there, I decided to study at Ton Duc Thang University because it has good facilities and a very strong student football program." Upon arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to studying, Nam also participated in football clubs and competed in many university tournaments. The striker's abilities attracted the attention of coaches. This was also the opportunity that led him to the Ton Duc Thang University football team. To date, he has played for the university's team for three years.