The boy from the highlands is determined to join the Song Lam Nghe An academy to fulfill his passion.

The mountain boy and his passion for football.

Among the 30 players participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup who caught the eye of Song Lam Nghe An's scouts, Lu Anh Khoi from the Quy Chau Youth Team is particularly noteworthy. This is considered an unprecedented case for a team from the mountainous region of Nghe An. In all 26 editions of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup, never before has a team from the Phu Quy region produced a player who has made such a strong impression on the audience and experts.

Born into an intellectual family, Khoi has consistently been an outstanding student in his class and school for many years. However, besides diligently practicing his writing and arithmetic, this boy born in 2012 also considers sports an indispensable source of mental relaxation after each school day.

Ms. Bich Hop, mother of Lu Anh Khoi, shared: “From a young age, Khoi loved sports. He played many sports such as badminton, table tennis, swimming… However, football is his greatest passion. When he was in 5th grade, during the summer break, to give him the opportunity to pursue his passion, I decided to take him to Vinh to attend community football classes. That was the starting point that helped Khoi develop his talent for playing football. Besides practicing skills on the field, Khoi also often went to social media to watch experts instructing on how to handle the ball.”

With his talent and passion for learning, Lu Anh Khoi was quickly selected by coach Le Viet Khoa to join the Quy Chau Children's Team to participate in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup. In the 2023 season, the Quy Chau Children's Team failed to advance beyond the group stage, but Khoi was the only player in the team to catch the eye of Song Lam Nghe An scouts. However, Khoi's family did not want their son to leave home at such a young age. Therefore, Khoi missed his chance to join the Nghe An youth football academy that year.

Descending the mountain to pursue my passion.

Entering the 2024 Nghe An Newspaper Cup, Lu Anh Khoi is once again expected to be the driving force helping Quy Chau Youth overcome the jinx of being the underdog as in previous seasons. In this year's tournament, the team from Phu Quy is in the same group as quite strong teams such as Vinh City Youth, Nghi Loc Youth, and Tuong Duong Youth.

In their opening match against the reigning runners-up, the Quy Chau Youth team was somewhat unprepared and suffered a bitter defeat. However, in the second match, Lu Anh Khoi's talent began to awaken. The midfielder demonstrated his leadership role by completely dominating the midfield. With smooth dribbling and well-placed passes, Anh Khoi created numerous scoring opportunities for his teammates. Khoi's outstanding performance, along with that of the entire team, helped the Quy Chau Youth team secure a crucial victory against the Tuong Duong Youth team.

In the final match, which was crucial in determining Quy Chau Youth's qualification for the quarterfinals, Lu Anh Khoi's talent once again shone through. Almost all of the attacks from the team from the "red stone" region went through Anh Khoi's feet. His skillful dribbling and elegant ball control kept the Nghi Loc Youth defense constantly on alert. In particular, Lu Anh Khoi's goal, which put them 2-1 ahead, was the highlight of the match.

Although the Quy Chau Youth team was eliminated by the defending champions Quynh Luu in the quarterfinals, Lu Anh Khoi's contributions to the team cannot be denied. It can be said that the midfielder from the "red stone" region made a strong impression at the 2024 Nghe An Newspaper Cup. And with that brilliant performance, Lu Anh Khoi caught the attention of scouts from the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center.

Currently, Lu Anh Khoi, along with 29 other outstanding U12 players from the 2024 Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, is being summoned by the Nghe An club for a selection process to recruit additional players for the Song Lam Nghe An U12 team.

During his first training session at the Nghe An youth academy, Lu Anh Khoi received numerous compliments from the coaches at the center.

Following the tryout at Song Lam Nghe An, experienced coach Le Ky Phuong commented: “Khoi is a player with good tactical thinking, individual technique, physique, and speed. However, if he wants to join the U12 Song Lam Nghe An team, he still needs more guidance to meet the professional requirements.”

This selection process involved 30 young players from the Nghe An Newspaper Cup, but Song Lam Nghe An only selected 10. The competition is quite intense, as this year's tournament boasts many outstanding talents. Nevertheless, there is still hope that Lu Anh Khoi will perform well in the selection process and be signed by Song Lam Nghe An. This would also be an important milestone, allowing the midfielder from Phu Quy to fully pursue his passion for professional football.