Former football star Quang Hai sends a message to his son after missing out on the 2026 U17 Asian Championship.
Coach Cristiano Roland has officially finalized the Vietnam U17 squad for the trip to Saudi Arabia, with Nguyen Le Quang Khoi unfortunately missing out despite receiving strong support from his famous father.
The door to the 2026 AFC U17 Championship Finals has temporarily closed for Nguyen Le Quang Khoi as he was not included in coach Cristiano Roland's final squad. Facing this first major setback in his professional career, the young striker born in 2009 received powerful words of encouragement from his father – former football legend Nguyen Quang Hai, a champion of the 2008 AFF Cup.
Coach Cristiano Roland's drastic squad overhaul.
In the final selection of players before departing for Saudi Arabia, coach Cristiano Roland made some difficult decisions. Besides Nguyen Le Quang Khoi, three other players – Ho Le Nguyen Chuong, Phung Quang Danh, and Ta Dinh Phong – also had to leave the team. This is seen as a tactical move to optimize the squad for a challenging campaign in the continental tournament.
The exclusion of Quang Khoi from the squad has attracted significant public attention. As a "son of a footballing family," this young striker always carried high expectations of following in the footsteps of his illustrious father. However, top-level football always demands absolute alignment with the head coach's philosophy at each specific time.
A source of inspiration from the 2008 AFF Cup champions.
Immediately after the news broke that his son would miss the U17 Asian Championship, former striker Nguyen Quang Hai became a strong source of support. On his personal page, he shared touching words of encouragement, viewing this failure as a necessary test on the long journey of a professional footballer.
The former player emphasized:"There's a long road ahead. If you don't succeed this year, try next year, and if you're still not good enough next year, try a few more years. Just don't stop and always strive for the career you've chosen, son."This message not only reflects the understanding of a father but also the mindset of a player who has experienced all the ups and downs of Vietnamese football.
Performance analysis: Why did Quang Khoi miss out?
Nguyen Le Quang Khoi is no stranger to youth football, boasting an impressive resume. He won a Silver Medal at the 2024 National U15 Championship and a Bronze Medal at the 2025 National U19 Championship. Despite consistently scoring in friendly matches earlier this year, Khoi's performance at the recent 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship wasn't as explosive as expected.
Experts believe that the lack of game-changing moments in big matches may be the reason why coach Roland chose a different solution. Replacing Khoi, striker Tran Manh Quan has been called up to refresh the attacking options of the Vietnam U17 team.
The ultimate challenge in Saudi Arabia
Currently, the Vietnam U17 team is focusing all its efforts on the campaign in Saudi Arabia with the goal of creating surprises against top opponents in the continent. According to the schedule, the young "Golden Star Warriors" will face challenges from West Asia and East Asia in turn:
- May 7th:Match against Yemen U17
- May 10th:Facing South Korea U17
- May 14th:Match against UAE U17
Although he missed out on this major tournament, with the right guidance from an experienced father like Quang Hai, Quang Khoi still has every opportunity to grow. This failure at the age of 15 could be a necessary setback for this young man born in 2009 to accumulate more experience and prepare for future breakthroughs in Vietnamese football.