Quang Hai is appreciated by foreign press for his remarkable progress.
Vietnamese football has three nominations in six categories, including Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Team of the Year, as the Malaysian version of FourFourTwo launched its first vote for individual awards of the year in Southeast Asia.
Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai is predicted to win the Young Player nomination, with candidates such as Safawi Rasid, Akhyar Rashid (Malaysia) and Kevin Deeromram, Jakkit Wechpirom (Thailand).
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Quang Hai won the V.League, was runner-up at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup and third place at the 2016 U19 Asian Cup. Photo:FFT. |
“Quang Hai has made remarkable progress since winning the V-League 2 championship with Saigon in 2015. He was a regular factor helping Hanoi win the V-League 2016 championship, and was called up to the national team at the age of 20. Quang Hai played a key role in helping Vietnam win the bronze medal at the 2016 AFC U19 Championship. He also scored many important goals for the Vietnam U22 team, and made his debut for the national team in the match against Cambodia in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers,” the newspaper introduced Quang Hai, not to mention his achievement when he helped Vietnam reach the final of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship.
Vietnam Golden Ball 2017 Dinh Thanh Trung was also nominated for Best Southeast Asian Player of the Year, alongside Teerasil Dangda, Chanathip Songkrasin (Thailand), Aung Thu (Myanmar) and Andritany Ardhiyasa (Indonesia).
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Thanh Trung had a successful 2017 with Quang Nam. Photo:FFT. |
“Thanh Trung had an excellent year, helping Quang Nam win the historic V.League championship. The 29-year-old midfielder played a key role in Quang Nam and was also named the best player. He also scored 10 goals in the tournament. Thanh Trung has a great style of play, with the ability to dribble the ball as if it were glued to his feet. He also stands out with his free kicks and assists for his teammates,” Four Four Two’s introduction said.
Vietnam’s remaining nomination is in the Team of the Year category, alongside Thailand and the Philippines. “Vietnam have made great progress in recent times, but have yet to achieve the desired results. After topping the 2016 AFF Cup group, they were eliminated by Indonesia in the semi-finals. However, with an unbeaten streak and a ticket to the 2019 Asian Cup finals with an early match, they have a chance to compete for a medal in the continental tournament,” the newspaper commented.
