The Vietnamese team will be captivating thanks to their 'samba style'.

Following the success of Xuan Son, naturalized foreign players like Do Hoang Hen, Do Phi Long, etc., promise to help the Vietnamese national team upgrade their playing style towards a more spontaneous and visually appealing approach.

X INEVITABLE TREND

Xuan Son's explosive success at the 2024 AFF Cup (7 goals) shows how much stronger the Vietnamese national team can become if naturalized players are used correctly.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's team doesn't import an entire squad to pursue temporary victories like Malaysia and Indonesia, but only uses foreign resources in positions where there are gaps. Even strong football nations like Japan used naturalized players (not of Japanese descent, mainly from Brazil) in their early stages of reaching the world stage before building their strong domestic squad as they are now. Vietnamese football can learn from this. While still relying on a core of domestic players and young talent, additional resources are needed to create victories and bring inspiration back to the core of Vietnamese football.

Do Hoang Hen is ready to contribute to the Vietnamese national team.

PHOTO: MINH TU

Following Xuan Son, the Vietnamese national team is opening its doors to welcome foreign resources, including overseas Vietnamese players and naturalized foreign players. Among them, foreign players who already have Vietnamese citizenship, such as Do Hoang Hen (Hendrio Araujo) and Do Phi Long (Gustavo Sant Ana), or those in the process of naturalization like Geovane Magno (expected to take the Vietnamese name Nguyen Tai Loc), could all become seeds for Kim to cultivate the "samba style," making the Vietnamese team more fluid and flexible.

Do Hoang Hen has proven his class as one of the best midfielders to ever play in the V-League, after 5 years playing for Binh Dinh, Nam Dinh, and currently Hanoi FC. While many foreign players are brought to the V-League to dominate, hold off defenders, and score goals thanks to their innate physical advantages, Hoang Hen has taken a different path. He orchestrates the game, controlling the tempo with his skillful touches, turns, and passes, blending standard Latin American technique with top-class vision honed in Spain or Portugal. His 4 goals in 7 appearances for Hanoi FC this season, or his impressive record of 48 goals and 16 assists in just 3 seasons with Nam Dinh, are testament to his class.

"I'm improving my game reading skills every day. I also follow Coach Kim Sang-sik's Vietnamese national team. They are a unified team that emphasizes teamwork. Coach Kim wants the team to be highly competitive, constantly moving, and aiming for victory. I'm confident I fit Coach Kim's style and can fully meet his requirements. I will train hard and wait for my opportunity. If I play against Malaysia, it will be a crucial moment," Hoang Hen confided to Thanh Nien newspaper .

Geovane, the creative midfielder who scored 39 goals in 5 years in the V-League, is also a highly technical midfielder with a samba-style playing typical of Brazilian players, making him a perfect fit for the Vietnamese national team.

C. SELECTING THE ESSENCE

The main obstacle for naturalized players is their age. Geovane and Hoang Hen are 32 years old, while Phi Long is 31, and Xuan Son will turn 29 this year. These are not ideal choices for the long term. However, they are the type of players who can be used immediately for short-term tournaments such as the AFF Cup 2026 (taking place in July this year) or the Asian Cup 2027 early next year.

The role of these naturalized "samba dancers" is not only to comprehensively upgrade the team, but also to serve as role models for the remaining players, especially the U23 generation, to learn from. The "interlocking" method of combining multiple generations will help the naturalized players support and elevate the skill level of the domestic players. Most importantly, as Vietnamese players, everyone should have an equal opportunity to contribute.

"How to utilize naturalized foreign players to both upgrade the playing style and leave space for young players to showcase their abilities is the strategy of the head coach. Experts can trust Coach Kim Sang-sik," commented expert Doan Minh Xuong.

The Vietnamese national team will be stronger and more appealing when it fully utilizes its existing resources. The only issue is doing it skillfully, so as not to stifle the motivation of the domestic players and avoid falling into the same trap as its Southeast Asian rivals.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-se-loi-cuon-nho-chat-samba-185260208194916158.htm