Thai newspapers are paying special attention to Vietnam's "super squad" of naturalized players.

Nguyen Xuan Son was a nightmare for the Thai national team at the 2024 AFF Cup. This player scored two crucial goals in the first leg of the final at Viet Tri Stadium, giving the Vietnamese team an advantage as they defeated Thailand 2-1.

Thai newspapers point out 9 naturalized players who could potentially play for the Vietnamese national team (Photo: Chefpungbal).

This is why the Thai press is paying special attention to the naturalized players in the Vietnamese national team. The newspaper Chefpungbal has listed 9 naturalized players who could potentially wear the "Golden Star Warriors" jersey in the near future.

These are defenders Kenneth Schmidt (Freiburg, 22 years old), Kyle Colonna (Hanoi FC, 25 years old), Jason Quang Vinh Pendant (CAHN FC, 27 years old), Tyler James Thai Crawford (Vancouver FC, 20 years old), midfielders Hendrio Araujo Da Silva ( Nam Dinh , 30 years old), Pierre Lamothe (Hanoi FC, 27 years old), forwards Geovane Magno (Hong Linh Ha Tinh, 30 years old), Geoffray Durbant (Fujairah, 32 years old) and Kaelin Nguyen (Wellington Olympic, 21 years old).

Among them, Hendrio and Geovane Magno are Brazilian-born players who are close to becoming eligible for Vietnamese citizenship, similar to Nguyen Xuan Son. The remaining seven names are all players with half-Vietnamese ancestry, like goalkeepers Dang Van Lam and Nguyen Filip.

In fact, over the years, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia have all actively naturalized players with half-local ancestry to maximize the strength of their national teams. Even with players of Dutch descent in their squad, Indonesia has risen to the top in Asia and has the potential to qualify for the World Cup.

Jason Quang Vinh Pendant may wear the Vietnamese national team jersey in the near future (Photo: Hanoi Police).

Recently, when asked about plans to naturalize players, Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Anh Tu said: “The Vietnamese national team is always open to naturalized players, but youth training needs to be prioritized. Indonesia's mass naturalization has created a gap and had a negative effect on domestic players.”

"In the 2024 AFF Cup, Indonesia couldn't call up key players because their clubs wouldn't release them. Looking at Indonesia's experience, we should learn from it. The whole world is focusing on youth development, and Vietnamese football can't be any different."

According to several sources, French-born defender Jason Quang Vinh Pendant is finalizing his Vietnamese citizenship process and may soon be able to play for the national team.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-thai-lan-quan-tam-dac-biet-sieu-doi-hinh-nhap-tich-cua-tuyen-viet-nam-20250119125308616.htm