Nhat Minh - a rare center-back

Hieu Minh emerged as the leader of the Vietnamese U23 team's defense at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. But Nhat Minh is equally outstanding and is a rare type of central defender in Vietnamese football.

Nhat Minh (16) defends strongly with Vietnam U23 - Photo: AFC

The Vietnam U23 team brilliantly won the bronze medal at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in Saudi Arabia after defeating South Korea U23 7-6 in a penalty shootout (after a 2-2 draw in 120 minutes) in the third-place match.

Despite a depleted defense due to injuries and suspensions, Nhat Minh continued to perform excellently, helping the Vietnam U23 team withstand the relentless attacking pressure from South Korea U23.

Tournament of a lifetime

Nhat Minh is the only player from the Vietnam U23 team to have started all 6 matches at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship. Including the two tense extra time matches against UAE U23 and South Korea U23, he has played a total of 600 minutes (excluding injury time) - a tournament record.

But that's not the main statistic to describe Nhat Minh's excellence. Because the on-field performance of the center-back, who is only 1.75m tall, is far more impressive.

Against U23 South Korea, Nhat Minh made 16 crucial clearances in the penalty area. The fact that center-backs Le Van Ha and Duc Anh couldn't hold out for the rest of the match and had to leave the field in the second half due to exhaustion and being breached by defenders shows just how formidable Nhat Minh's defense was.

Throughout the tournament, Nhat Minh and Hieu Minh ranked second in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in terms of successful clearances with 40 interventions, only behind the 1.89m tall center-back Xiao Peng of the Chinese U23 team (57 times).

Nhat Minh's statistics in the group stage are even more impressive. He achieved a 100% tackle success rate, committed no fouls, made 15 clearances, 2 crucial interceptions, and had a pass accuracy rate of 87%.

Nhat Minh in the match against China U23 - Photo: AFC

A rare type of defender

Despite not having the ideal height of Hieu Minh (1.84m) or Ly Duc (1.82m), and having a slender build, Nhat Minh still played exceptionally well, contributing to a solid defense for the Vietnam U23 team.

Nhat Minh's intelligent playing style allows him to resolve situations easily and with minimal effort. His ability to anticipate, read the game, and especially his accurate tackling are his strengths, rarely putting him in a passive position when competing with opponents.

Being left-footed and possessing good individual technique, Nhat Minh becomes even more dangerous with his incisive passes that initiate attacks.

In coach Kim Sang Sik's tactical system, Nhat Minh's composure and good footwork are key to U23 Vietnam's ability to effectively escape pressing and build play from the back.

Nhat Minh's 15 accurate long passes helped the Vietnam U23 team quickly transition from defense to attack, leading to victories. This statistic would have been much higher if Nhat Minh hadn't been moved to play in the center of the defense in the match against South Korea U23, while Hieu Minh was absent due to injury.

With his "very skillful" left foot and confident mindset, Hieu Minh confidently participates in attacks whenever the opportunity arises. In the quarter-final match against the UAE U23 team, Hieu Minh calmly dribbled the ball twice to "dribble" past the opposing defender before shooting – making fans think it was a move by a midfielder or forward.

A spot on the Vietnamese national team

Ly Duc came on as a substitute for the Vietnamese national team in their 0-4 loss to Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup last June. Hieu Minh started in the 1-0 win against Nepal in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup at Thong Nhat Stadium last October. Nhat Minh, however, has never played.

However, the outstanding performance of this player born in 2003 at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship deserves a place in the Vietnamese national team in the near future. It is also a well-deserved reward for Nhat Minh's remarkable journey of rise.

From a boy who failed the entrance exam to Hoang Anh Gia Lai JMG Academy due to poor physical condition, to diligently training to improve his fitness, returning to Gia Lai, and finally passing the exam, Nhat Minh's journey wasn't all rosy.

In 2021, Nhat Minh had to change his training environment when he moved to the Nutifood JMG Academy because Hoang Anh Gia Lai no longer cooperated with JMG. After graduating from the training course, Nhat Minh was not given a prominent role at Hai Phong Club and instead joined Long An Club to play in the First Division in 2023 on a loan contract.

Nobody knew Nhat Minh back then, but now he has become an indispensable central defender for both the Vietnam U23 team and the national team in the near future.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhat-minh-trung-ve-cua-hiem-20260125101223615.htm