Teacher Kim's extremely special decision, Xuan Son and Vi Hao also did not expect it.

After the injury, both Nguyen Xuan Son and Bui Vi Hao have not played any minutes but were still called up to the national team and the Vietnam U.23 team.

Coach Kim Sang-sik also has exceptions.

Previously, coach Kim Sang-sik expressed his opinion that he called up players to the Vietnam national team based on performance and ability, not reputation. That means that no matter how big a star is, how many fans he has, he will not be called up if he does not have good performances before FIFA Days. However, an exception appeared at the FIFA Days in November. Coach Kim Sang-sik decided to include Xuan Son in the list of players called up to the Vietnam national team to prepare for the match against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. For nearly a year, since the 2024 AFF Cup, the striker of Nam Dinh Club has not had a single official minute of play. His performance and fitness are a big question mark.

So what did coach Kim Sang-sik base his decision on? Technically, we can confirm that Xuan Son is superior to other domestic strikers. Even when he is not in the best form, he is still capable of causing a lot of trouble for Laos, a team that is not highly rated in defense. If Xuan Son can score, his confidence and inspiration to play will return sooner. From there, the Vietnamese team will also benefit.

Xuan Son deserves to be called up to the Vietnam national team.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

Besides, the attacking ability of the Vietnamese team is facing problems. In the 2 matches against Nepal, coach Kim Sang-sik's students only scored 4 goals, of which 1 was an own goal, the remaining 3 goals belonged to Tien Linh, Xuan Manh and Van Vi. When only 1 striker can score, the presence of Xuan Son is very important because he helps coach Kim Sang-sik have more personnel options, opening up many different ways of attacking. Xuan Son can be a wall for his teammates, a destination for long balls, high balls and is also capable of operating independently. Therefore, it is understandable that coach Kim Sang-sik gives Xuan Son a chance.

What is special about Vi Hao?

Similar to Xuan Son, Vi Hao also suffered a serious injury. He tore his ankle ligament and needed 8 months to recover. Currently, he has returned to normal training with Becamex TP.HCM Club and is ready to compete. This player himself was not optimistic about his ability to participate in SEA Games 33 and being called up to U.23 Vietnam this time surprised him.

After a period of injury, Vi Hao is still the most valuable player in the current U.23 Vietnam team when Transfermarkt valued him at 325,000 euros (about 9.8 billion VND), slightly higher than current pillars such as Khuat Van Khang (300,000 euros) or Nguyen Dinh Bac (275,000 euros). This partly shows the class of the striker from An Giang .

Vi Hao is still the top player of the U.23 Vietnam team.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

This time, besides Vi Hao, Coach Kim Sang-sik called up 4 other strikers: Ngoc My, Thanh Nhan, Quoc Viet and Dinh Bac. These players can play all 3 positions on the attack line (left - right striker and striker). However, the best striker is Vi Hao. This is also the position that Coach Kim Sang-sik needs more choices because in the most recent tournaments, he often had to pull Le Viktor or even Cong Phuong up to play the highest position.

Vi Hao also played well as a striker when he was called up to the Vietnam national team. He won the trust of coach Kim Sang-sik thanks to his ability to be active, enthusiastic, and have a good finishing ability. At the AFF Cup 2024, he even played more than his senior Tien Linh, contributing a lot to the championship of the Vietnam national team.

Creating conditions for a top striker like Vi Hao is also a wise move by coach Kim Sang-sik. The Korean captain clearly wants Vi Hao not only at the 33rd SEA Games but also towards the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, where Vi Hao's physical strengths will be brought into play when the Vietnam U23 team faces the continent's top teams.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quyet-dinh-cuc-dac-biet-cua-thay-kim-xuan-son-va-vi-hao-cung-khong-ngo-toi-185251107004129674.htm