The Vietnamese team will be stronger if they know how to naturalize 'enough'

The Vietnamese team can promote adding overseas Vietnamese players and foreign players in the next 6 months to strengthen its strength.

The door of the Vietnam national team is always open to overseas Vietnamese.

"The Vietnamese national team will not mass naturalize players like Malaysia or Indonesia. Developing young players is still the top priority," said Tran Quoc Tuan, President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), about the direction for the national team, after coach Kim Sang-sik and his team lost 0-4 to Malaysia and had difficulty winning a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

First of all, it must be affirmed that the way Malaysia and Indonesia do things tends to "mortgage" the future in exchange for short-term success in the present. The banner "only 1 domestic player, 15 naturalized players" that Malaysian fans hung in the stands during the match against Vietnam is proof.

Vietnam team needs more boost

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

Coach Peter Cklamovski has used 13 players with foreign blood (father or mother, grandfather or grandmother is Malaysian), a number that is much higher than the only 3 native Malaysian players. Like Indonesia, Malaysia has had a stepping stone to continue naturalization. This can affect the quality of Malaysian or Indonesian football, when native players gradually lose their position, the motivation to build a football foundation also decreases.

Although Vietnamese football will choose a more harmonious approach, which is to open the door to overseas Vietnamese players or foreign players who have played for 5 years in the V-League combined with youth football development, it is undeniable that the trend of naturalization will change the face of global football. The Sri Lankan team (ranked 200th in the world ) imported an entire squad of foreign origin and only lost 0-1 away to Thailand in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The Vietnamese team needs to find new sources of players to increase competitiveness. Especially when the foundation of the V-League is still weak, many teams spend money on football, but very few teams focus on youth training. With the foundation of Vietnamese players not being of sufficient quality, and the country's football needs achievements, it is clear that finding more overseas Vietnamese or naturalized foreign players is appropriate. However, it must be done alternately, "combing the teeth" very reasonably, with a clear strategy.

Overseas Vietnamese play defense, foreign players play offense

The Vietnamese team will utilize two sources of players, including overseas Vietnamese and naturalized foreign players. Currently, coach Kim Sang-sik has two overseas Vietnamese players (Nguyen Filip and Cao Pendant Quang Vinh) and one naturalized foreign player (Nguyen Xuan Son).

Both Vietnamese-American players play in defense, while the naturalized foreign player plays in attack. This is a potential naturalization formula for the Vietnamese team.

Quang Vinh (number 13) is a quality factor.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

Currently in the V-League, the most potential and brightest overseas Vietnamese are playing in defense. Center back Adou Minh has played 22 matches for Ha Tinh Club in the V-League this season (scoring 1 goal) and is highly appreciated by coach Nguyen Thanh Cong. Adou Minh was born in 1997 and used to play in the French semi-professional league. He has a good physique, impressive ability in one-on-one combat, tackling and aerial combat. Thanks to the "wall" Adou Minh in defense, Ha Tinh once had a long unbeaten streak in the V-League.

Kevin Pham Ba joined Nam Dinh in the second leg, but was able to play 10 matches, scoring 2 goals. Sharing with Thanh Nien Newspaper, the right-back born in 1994 confirmed that he had completed the procedures to receive Vietnamese citizenship. Pham Ba grew up at the Sochaux training center (Quang Vinh's senior class) and played for many years in France. Pham Ba has speed, dexterity and good finishing skills.

If they have citizenship, Adou Minh and Pham Ba will add steel to the defense, which is fragile due to its dependence on the old pillars from the Park Hang-seo era. Mr. Kim Sang-sik needs more good options to build a more solid defense, instead of depending on the current limited factors.

Adou Minh (white shirt) has confirmed his ability.

PHOTO: MINH TU

If overseas Vietnamese add to the defense, naturalized foreign players can improve the quality of the attack. Hendrio can receive citizenship at the end of this year to join the national team alongside his old teammate Xuan Son. Coach Kim Sang-sik needs a new striker to "share the burden" with Xuan Son, in the context that domestic satellites are only adequate.

The overseas Vietnamese and naturalized foreign players will help the Vietnamese team become stronger, but only if the VFF and Mr. Kim have a clear and systematic strategy. Naturalization is ultimately only a temporary solution in exchange for achievements. A strong football foundation needs good domestic players, developing youth training, raising the level of domestic tournaments, and promoting school sports to have more sources to nurture talent.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-se-manh-hon-neu-biet-nhap-tich-du-lieu-185250628091445832.htm