8 young Vietnamese football talents selected to train in Spain; Van Dijk and Salah officially renew contracts with Liverpool

La Liga selects 8 young Vietnamese talents to train in Spain

The Next Gen Draft program – a global initiative to search for and develop young football talents – officially took place at Gia Dinh Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City) from April 11 to 13, attracting more than 200 young players from across the country.

This is a special opportunity for young Vietnamese talents to approach the world's top football through La Liga's international standard training system. Vietnam is one of 5 countries from 3 continents representing this program. After the selection rounds, the 8 best young players will be chosen to go to Madrid (Spain) to participate in a special training camp organized by La Liga, along with 32 other young talents from around the world.

In Spain, players will be trained according to the official curriculum of La Liga Academy, under the direct guidance of leading experts and have the opportunity to play friendly matches with youth teams of the La Liga club system. This is expected to be the door to bring Vietnamese youth football closer to the international professional football environment.

Sharing with Tri Thuc – Znews, Mr. Ivan Codina – Executive Director of La Liga in Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan and Korea – emphasized: “Vietnam does not lack talent, the important thing is to create opportunities and environments for them to develop”.

Mr. Codina affirmed that the potential of Vietnamese youth football is huge. However, to develop, players need to have access to a modern training system, and that is exactly what La Liga wants to bring through this program.

“It’s not just about technical skills, it’s also about adaptability,” Codina added, adding that early exposure to international competition conditions, nutrition, language, and living environments are key factors in helping players develop comprehensively. This is also a challenge that both Japanese and Korean players have had to overcome when playing abroad.

According to Mr. Codina, the goal of La Liga is not only to train but also to inspire. The selected players not only bring back knowledge and experience, but can also become role models, motivating the young generation of Vietnam to go further on the international football map.

Vietnamese Kickboxing Wins Big at the First World Cup in 2025

With 5 Gold Medals, 8 Silver Medals and 6 Bronze Medals, the Vietnamese Kickboxing team has concluded an impressive journey at the 1st World Kickboxing Cup - 2025, affirming its remarkable progress in the international arena and creating a favorable premise for the upcoming 33rd SEA Games.

The tournament took place from April 7 to 12 in Thailand, bringing together 674 athletes from 45 countries and territories, becoming one of the largest events in the history of Kickboxing.

The Vietnamese team with 13 athletes, led by Dr. Vu Duc Thinh - President of the Vietnam Kickboxing Federation - won a total of 19 medals.

In particular, Hoang Thi Thuy Giang (Dong Nai) excellently won two gold medals in two categories: 50kg light contact women and 50kg kick light women - a rare achievement in the international arena. The remaining gold medals belonged to Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ngan (Ben Tre, 56kg full contact women), Phung Thi Hong Tham (Dong Thap, 65kg light contact women) and Hoang Trong Vy (Gia Lai, 45kg low kick men).

This achievement not only shows professional progress but also proves the effectiveness of the systematic and sustainable training strategy of Kickboxing Vietnam in recent times.

Hieu "Giant" draws with "Thunder God" Zakhar

On the afternoon of April 11, at Man Xa (Van Mon, Bac Ninh), the much-anticipated wrestling match between Ha Van Hieu and Zakhar Dzmitrychenka ended in a draw after 12 intense rounds.

The match started at 4pm and lasted for over 2 hours. The two wrestlers started cautiously and struggled with each move. Notably, in the 7th round, Ha Van Hieu suffered a head bleed and had to seek medical attention. However, for the sake of honor and the $10,000 prize, he continued to return to the wrestling ring.

Despite his declining physical strength due to age, Hieu still stood firm against his opponent who was once ranked 3rd in the world. At the end of the match, both wrestlers were evenly matched, the organizers decided to call it a draw, each receiving a $5,000 bonus and bonuses from sponsors.

After the match, the two exchanged friendly gestures. Zakhar even lifted his opponent up to share the joy with the audience.

Ha Van Hieu (1m92, 130kg) is a monument of Vietnamese wrestling with 15 national championships and 4 SEA Games gold medals. After retiring, he switched to coaching, worked as an MMA referee and was a prominent social media content creator.

Zakhar Dzmitrychenka (1m81, 80kg) is a Belarusian wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Classical Wrestling Championship and is currently undefeated in Vietnamese wrestling arenas.

Van Dijk and Salah officially renew contracts with Liverpool

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool's two pillars Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have agreed to sign new contracts with the club.

Van Dijk – who turns 34 in July – has committed to the club for another two years, despite Liverpool’s previous policy of not renewing contracts with players over the age of 30. However, given the duo’s influence and class, the club has made an exception.

Both players will remain at Anfield until June 2027, ending any speculation about their futures and bringing stability to the squad.

In terms of salary, Salah is currently the highest-paid player in the club's history. According to The Sun, his income could increase to £400,000/week in the new contract.

Sharing the reason for turning down the invitation from Saudi Arabia, Salah said: "I stayed because I believe Liverpool can win big titles. I enjoy football here and hope to have more glorious years with the team."

UEFA opposes idea of ​​expanding 2030 World Cup to 64 teams

FIFA is planning to hold the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams, but has faced strong opposition from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, who said it was “a bad idea”.

However, despite reactions from UEFA and some major European clubs, FIFA still maintains that expanding the number of teams will bring financial benefits and competitive opportunities for many developing football nations.

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the opening match taking place in Uruguay – the country that hosted the first World Cup in 1930.

FIFA asserts that increasing the number of teams will expand the global football festival chain, creating a strong source of financial revenue to reinvest in football development. However, the downside is the risk of reducing the quality of competition when there are too many uncompetitive teams.

Although controversial, with the precedent of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup – which was also opposed but still successfully held – the plan to increase the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup is gradually becoming a reality.