Overseas Vietnamese Players: A Quality Reserve for the Future

A DOU MINH SPEAKS UP

Among the overseas Vietnamese players playing in the V-League, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh stands out the most. The player born in 1997 played for the French U.18 and U.16 teams, and has played for 8 years in France (Ligue 2) and the US (MLS). Quang Vinh has proven his class with 29 matches for the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN Club) this season and is likely to be called up to the Vietnam national team for the match against Malaysia (taking place on June 10).

Adou Minh (left) and Quang Vinh are defenders who are considered to be of very high quality.

PHOTO: MINH TU

However, in the match between CAHN FC and Ha Tinh FC in round 22 of the V-League (taking place on the evening of May 9), Quang Vinh only played a supporting role. The most impressive performance on the field belonged to another Vietnamese-French player, Adou Minh of Ha Tinh. The central defender with Vietnamese and French blood defended firmly, effectively blocking the CAHN FC's attack. He read the situation well, fought fiercely, including an important block against Van Duc in the second half. With a performance like a real foreign player, Adou Minh and his teammates made CAHN FC only able to create opportunities drop by drop. Even in the second half, the Ha Tinh team's goalkeeper almost did not have to save the goal.

"He is a very interesting and quality face," Quang Vinh commented when looking at Adou Minh's 9-year record in French football. The player born in 1997 grew up at Grenoble Club, the team that wrote a fairy tale in French football when it rose to play at

Ligue 1 in 2008 despite a tight budget. Adou Minh chose to return to Vietnam to try his hand at Ha Tinh Club at the beginning of this season. So far, it has been the right choice for the 28-year-old central defender. At a well-organized, disciplined and moderately sized team like Ha Tinh, Adou Minh was given the opportunity to play as a starter. So far, the French-Vietnamese central defender has played 18 matches, playing from start to finish in each match. Thanks to the "wall" Adou Minh, Ha Tinh Club has only conceded 14 goals since the beginning of the tournament, being one of the two best defensive teams in the V-League this season.

The team with a good defensive record like Ha Tinh is Nam Dinh Club, which also has a Vietnamese-French player in its squad, Kevin Pham Ba, born in 1994, who was also trained at Sochaux Club like Cao Pendant Quang Vinh. Pham Ba's disadvantage when coming to Vietnam was that he had to "practice alone" for nearly a month due to a dispute related to his old team. "That period of time was very complicated and difficult. I was always in a state where I could have to pack my bags and return to France due to problems from my old club. Fortunately, Nam Dinh Club has resolved the issue satisfactorily. Now I can focus on playing football," Kevin Pham Ba affirmed.

The defender scored his first goal in the V-League when he volleyed past Hanoi FC, helping Nam Dinh win 3-0 and open the door to the championship. Quang Vinh commented: "I know Pham Ba well. He is very agile, skillful and technical." After a difficult start, the 31-year-old defender is integrating very well and could become an important piece of Nam Dinh FC next season.

S BRIGHT DOOR TO THE NATIONAL TEAM

Among the Vietnamese-French defenders, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh has Vietnamese citizenship and is eligible to join the national team in this training session. Adou Minh and Kevin Pham Ba are still on hold. Adou Minh shared: "My family is trying to complete the procedures for me. During this time, I want to play well, so that I have a chance to be called up when I have citizenship". Kevin Pham Ba agreed: "I have submitted the relevant documents. I will persistently prove myself while waiting to become a Vietnamese citizen".

The most recent overseas Vietnamese stars like Nguyen Filip and Quang Vinh all needed 7-9 months to obtain Vietnamese citizenship, counting from the time they returned to play in the country. For Adou Minh or Kevin Pham Ba, this time could be shorter or longer depending on progress and paperwork. The clubs will propose, then the Vietnam Football Federation will submit to the Department of Sports and Physical Training, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Justice to support the players to become Vietnamese citizens.

At the moment, both Pham Ba and Adou Minh are learning Vietnamese, first to understand the commands on the field, then to integrate more deeply into life and experience Vietnamese culture. That is the path that overseas Vietnamese players have taken before. In the next 6 months to 1 year, if Pham Ba and Adou Minh have citizenship, coach Kim Sang-sik will have enough material to build a defense with a strong French character for the Vietnamese team.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cau-thu-viet-kieu-nguon-luc-du-tru-chat-luong-cho-tuong-lai-185250511212121418.htm