Chairman Duc's success in the U22 team.

To date, the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Academy continues to contribute to training many quality players for Vietnamese football. A prime example is the players who recently won the gold medal with the Vietnam U22 team at the 33rd SEA Games.

Trung Kien, Quoc Cuong, Quoc Viet, Hieu Minh, and Ly Duc at the SEA Games 33 gold medal awarding ceremony - Photo: NAM TRAN

The Vietnam U22 team won the SEA Games 33 gold medal after a spectacular comeback, defeating host Thailand U22 3-2 in extra time in the final.

Among the 23 players who won the title in Thailand, it is noteworthy that four players were trained at the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Academy: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, center-back Nguyen Nhat Minh, midfielder Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong, and striker Nguyen Quoc Viet.

Even center-back Pham Ly Duc (Nutifood JMG Academy) has made remarkable progress thanks to being given continuous playing opportunities at Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club.

The sweet fruits follow.

The Hoang Anh Gia Lai - Arsenal JMG Academy, established in 2007, was a breakthrough for businessman Doan Nguyen Duc (Chairman Duc).

The emergence of the first and second batches of players from the Academy in 2015 caused an unprecedented sensation in Vietnamese football. Players like Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Van Toan... and Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC brought packed stadiums wherever they went.

The historic runner-up finish at the 2018 U23 Asian Championship, the 2018 AFF Cup championship, and the 2024 ASEAN Cup victory of the Vietnamese national team owe a great deal to the contributions of this generation of players.

However, the third intake was a low point for the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Academy, as it failed to produce the talented players that were expected.

"The first and second cohorts were basically a success in the initial stages. As for the third cohort, I was very busy, and so was Mr. Graechen, so we neglected them and essentially gave up. Therefore, I will now devote all my efforts to taking care of the students in the fourth cohort," Mr. Duc once admitted.

Quoc Cuong (27), Nhat Minh (7) and Quoc Viet (27) when they were still wearing the Hoang Anh Gia Lai JMG Academy jersey - Photo: HAGL FC

And in fact, the fourth cohort brought him new pride, as the players contributed to winning the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship in Indonesia and the SEA Games 33 gold medal in Thailand.

Midfielder Quoc Cuong - cousin of Nguyen Cong Phuong, joined the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Academy in 2014. Goalkeeper Trung Kien, center-back Nhat Minh and striker Quoc Viet joined the Academy in 2016.

All four of them joined the Hoang Anh Gia Lai U18 team for a one-month training camp at Feyenoord Rotterdam (Netherlands) - a leading youth training center in Europe - in 2019, opening up a breakthrough in their professional development.

Due to economic difficulties, Mr. Duc had to terminate his partnership with JMG, transferring 16 players from the fourth intake to the Nutifood JMG Academy at the end of May 2021 to continue the remaining training program. The only player retained was Trung Kien.

But that doesn't negate the training provided by the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Academy and the dedication of Chairman Duc to Vietnamese football.

Chairman Duc (third from the left) with representatives of Feyenoord Rotterdam FC in 2019 - Photo: HAGL FC

Perseverance, never giving up for Vietnamese football.

Trung Kien, Nhat Minh, Quoc Cuong, and Quoc Viet certainly cannot be compared to the first two generations of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Academy. But looking to the future, this is a promising generation of players for Vietnamese football.

In particular, Trung Kien - the number one goalkeeper of the Vietnam U22 team. With his excellent height (1.91m) and proven professional ability, the position of number one goalkeeper for the Vietnamese national team in the future is unlikely to slip from Trung Kien's grasp.

Trung Kien's inclusion in the top 5 of the "Vietnam Golden Ball 2025" award organized by Saigon Giai Phong newspaper is an acknowledgment from experts for this young player, alongside another U22 Vietnam player, Dinh Bac.

Although the partnership with JMG ended after the fourth training course, Chairman Duc did not stop contributing to Vietnamese football. Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club continues to invest in youth training, even upgrading facilities at Ham Rong. Simultaneously, young players are given maximum opportunities to play in the V-League.

After a consistent V-League 2024-2025 season as a starter for Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC, Ly Duc became a leader in the Vietnam U22 national team and moved to a larger club, Hanoi Police FC, to play in the V-League 2025-2026.

Similarly, striker Tran Gia Bao (17 years old) and center-back Dinh Quang Kiet (18 years old) are also being given opportunities and promise to be valuable assets for the future, not only for Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club but also for Vietnamese football.

Although Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC has declined significantly due to economic difficulties, Chairman Duc's persistent and quiet contributions to Vietnamese football are highly commendable.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/qua-ngot-cua-bau-duc-o-u22-2025122511571081.htm