Patrik Le Giang's Aspiration

Shine the opening round

In the second minute, the home team at Thong Nhat Stadium took the lead, then retreated to defend to protect the result. Throughout the match, Hanoi FC pressed and fired dozens of shots, but Patrik Le Giang became a "spider man" in front of the goal.

In total, the goalkeeper wearing the number 89 shirt had about 3-4 decisive saves against Hanoi strikers such as Hai Long, Passira and Van Quyet, bringing home 3 valuable points for the V-League rookie Cong An TP.HCM. This excellent performance immediately made a strong impression on experts and fans.

The goalkeeper born in 1992 continuously shouted instructions to the defense, bringing certainty and confidence to his teammates. Thanks to the reliable stopper in the goal, coach Le Huynh Duc's team confidently deployed an effective defensive counter-attacking style of play to create the biggest surprise of round 1 against the top championship candidate.

This victory not only means 3 points, but also marks the impressive return of the Ho Chi Minh City Police brand after 24 years of absence from the V-League. The last time the city's police team named after Uncle Ho participated in the highest level of competition was in the 2000-2001 season. Now, with a squad of ambitious players and the leadership of former player Le Huynh Duc, Ho Chi Minh City Police is showing that they are ready to become the "dark horse" of the new season.

Not only shining in the match against Hanoi FC, Patrik Le Giang has long affirmed his role as leader and number one stopper at Ho Chi Minh City Police Club (formerly Ho Chi Minh City Club). In the 2024/25 season, despite suffering a serious thigh injury at the beginning of the year, he was still able to return in the decisive stage of the relegation race. Although he only started 16 matches in the season (due to having to rest for injury treatment), every time he took the field, this 1m86 tall Vietnamese-American goalkeeper showed his solid performance and leadership spirit.

He has kept a clean sheet many times in key matches, directly helping the "Red Battleship" gain important points. In fact, in the penultimate round of V-League 2024/25, it was Le Giang's excellent performance that contributed to the thrilling 1-0 victory over Binh Dinh, thereby helping Ho Chi Minh City Club officially stay in the league successfully.

Notably, Patrik Le Giang was also trusted by coach Phung Thanh Phuong to be the captain of Ho Chi Minh City FC last season. In the context of the "Red Battleship" squad consisting of many young and inexperienced players, Le Giang's leadership role becomes even more important.

Not only does he command a solid defense, but he is also an example of fighting spirit and professionalism for his young teammates to follow. Coach Phung Thanh Phuong admitted: "The loss of Patrik is a heavy loss, he is half the strength of Ho Chi Minh City Club".

In fact, the leadership of Ho Chi Minh City Club has made efforts to keep Le Giang with a long-term contract. In mid-2024, after Le Giang's contract with Hanoi Police expired, Ho Chi Minh City Club quickly reached an official 3-year agreement with him, with the highest salary in V-League (salary of about 18,000 USD/month and a signing bonus of 2.5 billion VND/season).

Indeed, the statistics of the 2023/24 season (the first period when Le Giang played for Ho Chi Minh City on loan) also proved his worth, this 1m86 tall goalkeeper played 22/23 matches for Ho Chi Minh City Club, only conceding 24 goals, an average of 1.09 goals conceded/match, among the fewest in the league. That excellent performance helped Ho Chi Minh City Club break away from the bottom group to 6th place overall with 33 points, and at the same time brought Le Giang the title of "Best Goalkeeper of V-League 2023/24".

Now, when Ho Chi Minh City Club has changed its name to Ho Chi Minh City Police and aims to reach new heights in the 2025/26 season, Patrik Le Giang continues to be an "indispensable support" in the goal. His solidity and experience combined with quality new recruits (such as the national team's number 1 striker Nguyen Tien Linh) create a Ho Chi Minh City Police team full of new vitality.

Desire to contribute

With his consistent performance, Patrik Le Giang is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the V-League today. Many experts and fans believe that he deserves to be naturalized to play for the Vietnamese national team, strengthening his position as a goalkeeper.

Compared to other overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers, Le Giang is currently rated as highly as Dang Van Lam or Filip Nguyen. He is even said to make fewer mistakes, play more consistently and be more energetic than these two colleagues in 2025. With good height, quick reflexes and experience playing in Europe, Patrik Le Giang will certainly be a quality option for the national team's goal under coach Kim Sang-sik.

However, the biggest obstacle at present is the issue of nationality. Patrik Le Giang has a Vietnamese father and a Slovak mother, so in theory he is eligible for Vietnamese citizenship based on his ancestry. Since returning to Vietnam in 2023, he has repeatedly expressed his desire to become naturalized to contribute to the national team.

However, by early 2025, Le Giang's naturalization procedure has not been completed because he lacks some necessary legal documents related to his identity and Vietnamese origin. According to regulations, if he cannot prove these documents, Patrik Le Giang may have to wait up to 3 more years to be eligible for naturalization. This is truly a waste of his talent, because Le Giang is currently 33 years old and at the peak of his performance. If he waits a few more years, his ability to contribute to the Vietnamese team will not be much.

Patrik Le Giang once shared: “Wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey is my dream. I am working hard every day to be qualified to contribute to the team”. The goalkeeper said he will continue to complete the remaining paperwork, and will not be discouraged even if he has to wait. At the same time, Patrik focuses on his professional skills, because he understands that only consistent excellent performance can convince professionals and fans.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/khat-vong-cua-patrik-le-giang-163681.html