U.23 Vietnam says goodbye to Bui Alex, only keeps Le Viktor
Coach Kim Sang-sik finalized the list of 23 U.23 Vietnam players participating in the 2025 Southeast Asian tournament yesterday afternoon (July 12). Among the last 5 players to say goodbye to the team, notably, there was striker Bui Alex of the youth team Bohemians Praha 1905 (third division of the Czech Republic).
Despite being trained in Europe and being able to play many positions in attack, Bui Alex still did not make the official list.
Bui Alex says goodbye to U.23 Vietnam
PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG
The reason Bui Alex stopped was because the player with mixed Vietnamese and Czech blood did not have a convincing performance for coach Kim Sang-sik. Besides his versatility, ready to play as a winger, a striker or an attacking midfielder, Bui Alex was not really outstanding in terms of expertise. He only performed at a normal level, lacking highlights. In the movement and coordination exercises to create a tactical plan or physical testing, Bui Alex's parameters did not create an impression based on the strict training standards of coach Kim.
Keeping Bui Alex until the last days was the "reward" coach Kim Sang-sik gave Bui Alex. Because the midfielder of Czech origin is only 20 years old (born in 2005), the youngest member of U.23 Vietnam. Bui Alex still has a lot of potential to exploit. The plus points of this Vietnamese-American player are his eagerness to learn, his efforts and his strong ambition to develop himself. Bui Alex stopped before the U.23 Southeast Asia, but it is very likely that in important youth tournaments in the future such as U.23 Asia, he will be named.
Unlike Bui Alex, Le Viktor was retained. The midfielder of Ha Tinh Club impressed acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh in the March training session thanks to his energetic playing style, fiery fighting spirit, and aggressiveness when he played with U.23 Vietnam against U.23 China, U.23 Korea and U.23 Uzbekistan in a friendly tournament in March. After that, when coach Kim Sang-sik took over the team, Le Viktor continued to meet the tactical requirements with good playing intensity, the ability to press like a "warrior" and neat handling. He scored against U.23 Taiwan in the 5-0 victory, and was trusted by Mr. Kim to be the captain in the second half.
Viktor Le proves the difference
PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG
Although he does not speak Vietnamese fluently, Le Viktor has found a common voice in the language of football with his teammates. According to Thanh Nien Newspaper's observations , in training sessions as well as friendly matches, the young midfielder of Ha Tinh always actively communicates on the field, calls out commands and is ready to cooperate. Le Viktor is full of energy, different from the somewhat "calm" tone of Bui Alex.
Differences between overseas Vietnamese
Among the overseas Vietnamese who have tried their hand at youth levels such as Le Viktor, Bui Alex, Andrej Nguyen An Khanh (U.23 Vietnam) and Thomas Mai Veeren (U.17 Vietnam), why is it that only Le Viktor has responded well?
Because Le Viktor has played football in Vietnam for 3 years. The midfielder born in 2003 returned to his second homeland when he was very young. He was honed in the V-League with his seniors in Binh Dinh and Ha Tinh teams. At the age of 22, Le Viktor is gradually getting used to the weather, cuisine and football culture of Vietnam.
On the other hand, most of the young overseas Vietnamese of the U.23, U.20 or U.17 Vietnam teams grew up and lived in a European football environment. Returning home and integrating into a different football and climate is difficult for any player with half foreign blood. Bui Alex believes that the weather in Vietnam is very hot, causing overseas Vietnamese to quickly lose strength.
When adaptability is a big problem, the only thing that can help overseas Vietnamese players stay is superior class. But unfortunately, Vietnamese football has not been able to find any overseas Vietnamese players who play better than domestic players at the age of U.23 or U.20. Overseas Vietnamese only play average, not even as good as players trained in the country. Therefore, there is no reason for the coach to keep them.
There are still many challenges awaiting young overseas Vietnamese on their journey to conquer the youth teams of Vietnam. However, even if they are not successful, efforts like Bui Alex’s are already commendable. Because you have to go to find a way.
Hopefully if Bui Alex or Le Viktor can prove themselves, more overseas Vietnamese will choose to return to Vietnam to contribute.
Thanhnien.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-hlv-kim-loai-gan-het-nhan-to-viet-kieu-khoi-u23-viet-nam-chi-giu-le-viktor-185250713095802144.htm
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