FIFA selects 5 influential players of Vietnam women's team

In a recent article on its homepage, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) selected five players who are considered influential in the Vietnamese team participating for the first time in the world's largest women's football tournament, the 2023 World Cup.

At the 2023 Women's World Cup, the Vietnamese women's team is in Group E and will face the US, Netherlands and Portugal. Photo: VFF

The first name mentioned is goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh. FIFA believes that the appearance of the Vietnamese women's team at the 2023 Women's World Cup is partly due to the impressive performance of the 1993-born goalkeeper at the 2022 Asian Women's Cup. FIFA's assessment of Kim Thanh: "Kim Thanh's sportsmanship and sharp reflexes attracted attention throughout the tournament and Kim Thanh made more saves than any other goalkeeper. In the last two matches against Thailand and Chinese Taipei, Kim Thanh made no mistakes to help the Vietnamese women's team win two matches." The second name that FIFA noticed was midfielder Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy. “Bich Thuy contributed one of the most important goals in the history of Vietnamese football with a goal against Chinese Taipei, helping Vietnam qualify for the Women's World Cup finals for the first time. That effort showed the midfielder's impressive qualities with a cross before a powerful finish to bring home the goal for the home team,” the article on the FIFA homepage said about Bich Thuy's important goal. The next player mentioned is the most veteran midfielder of the Vietnamese women's team, Tran Thi Thuy Trang. The 34-year-old midfielder's tireless training and fighting spirit has spread to the whole team. Facing strong opponents in the upcoming tournament, Trang's composure when holding the ball will also be the key to helping Vietnam keep the ball and reduce pressure. Thanh Nha is also a player who receives high praise from FIFA. At the age of 21, Nha is the leader of a vibrant generation of young players in Vietnam. Her direct runs and technique often leave opposing defences helpless, and she will head into the Women's World Cup in fine form after scoring in the 32nd SEA Games gold medal match. Thanh Nha's beautiful curling effort sealed Vietnam's 2-0 win over Myanmar.

FIFA highly appreciates Huynh Nhu and her teammates. Photo: VFF

Captain Huynh Nhu is also the name mentioned by FIFA in this list with agility, dexterity and good finishing ability. FIFA believes that Huynh Nhu will be the main attacking force of the team.

Huynh Nhu is a striker who holds many domestic records. She has a scoring rate of almost one goal per game at the international level, and Huynh Nhu is also the first Vietnamese female player to play for a professional club in Europe.

At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Vietnamese women's team is in Group E and will face the US women's team (July 22), the Netherlands women's team (July 27) and Portugal women's team (August 1). After returning from Europe, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team will have 10 more days of training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center before leaving for New Zealand on July 5 to get used to the training and competition conditions at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. During their training in New Zealand, the Vietnamese women's team will have two more important friendly matches with host New Zealand on July 10 and Spain on July 14.

Minh Dang/Tin Tuc Newspaper