As shown in Cambodia in the journey to conquer the Southeast Asian U23 championship, it is clear that the players led by coach Dinh The Nam are extremely promising.

Many footballers who have become under-23s champions in the region are very good. They have left a good impression on fans, together with those who have become well known such as Xuan Quyet and Dung Quang Nho.

Quoc Viet, Xuan Cuong and Xuan Tien, who are under 20 years old, played well during the minutes they were on the football ground.

As demonstrated at the tournament, from expertise to spirit, the efforts of the players have helped Vietnamese football complete the collection of championship titles in Southeast Asian youth tournaments. They have great opportunities to become the ‘pillars’ of the national soccer team, and of their clubs in the time to come.

After returning from Phnom Penh, most of the footballers convened to attend V-League and First Division. However, not all of them were lucky enough to get the opportunity to become official footballer at matches, or to be on the list of registrations of the first phase of the 2022 season.

It was difficult even for well-known footballers such as Dung Quang Nho, Xuan Hoang, Mai Xuan Quyet, and Bao Toan, who was the hero of the final to have the opportunity, at least during the time before Vietnam’s professional tournaments return in April and SEA games.

In theory, the opportunities to find a new destination and enjoy the atmosphere of a professional tournament have opened up for the AFF Cup champions. However, in fact, the doors to the destinations are narrow because the lists of players for V-League or the First Division have been fixed.

So, they will have to wait until the door of player transfer opens again.

Footballers at the age of 18-20 need practice on professional football teams. Meanwhile, many U23 champions may become ‘frozen’ and cannot grow. These are the questions following the win at the AFF Championship. 

M. A

Vietnam win AFF U23 Youth Championship

Vietnam earned their first AFF U23 Youth Championship title after beating Thailand 1-0 in the final match in Cambodia on February 26. ​