Top 5 most exciting players to watch at SEA Games 29

(Baonghean.vn) - Starting on August 15th in Malaysia, the 29th SEA Games will be the arena for the best young talents in Southeast Asian football.

1. Chenrop Samphaodi (Thailand)

Vietnamese defenders will have to watch out for Chenrop Samphaodi. Photo: Internet

The striker, born in 1995 and currently playing for BEC Tero, was part of the Thailand U23 team that won the gold medal at the 28th SEA Games in Singapore two years ago.

At this SEA Games, Samphaodi is the spearhead of the attack in coach Worrawoot Srimaka's formation. Standing at 1.79m tall, Samphaodi is a familiar face to Vietnamese players, having previously won the top scorer title alongside Van Toan and Park Junha (Gangwon) at the Thanh Nien Newspaper U21 tournament last year.

In the recent U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Samphaodi scored a brace against Malaysia.

In addition, the U22 Thailand team also has Chaowat Veerachat, a midfielder who is considered by experts to be a versatile midfielder in the future of Thai football.

2. Aung Thu (Myanmar)

Aung Thu (in red shirt) is the main striker for the Myanmar U22 team. Photo: Internet

Striker Aung Thu left a strong impression while playing for the Myanmar U19 team in their first year participating in the U20 World Cup. Furthermore, the striker, born in 1996, also scored a goal in the world tournament.

With his speed, intelligent movement, and powerful shots, Aung Thu is a key player for both the Myanmar U22 and senior national teams.

At the 2016 AFF Cup, this player scored two goals, including one against Vietnam in the group stage. However, in the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Aung Thu only scored one goal for the Myanmar U22 team.

3. Evan Dimas (Indonesia)

Evan Dimas is a football prodigy from Indonesia. Photo: Internet

Evan Dimas, born in 1995, is hailed as a football prodigy in Indonesia due to his exceptional skills. Playing as a midfielder, he is a key player for the Indonesian U17, U19, and U23 teams, as well as the senior national team. At the 28th SEA Games, he was Indonesia's top scorer.

With four goals, Evan Dimas played a major role in helping Indonesia advance from Group B, which also included Myanmar, the Philippines, and host nation Singapore.

In the 2016 season with Bhayangkara FC, Evan Dimas delivered a strong performance with 6 goals in 22 appearances. In the 2017 season, Dimas also scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists in 9 appearances.

4. Syafiq Ahmad (Malaysia)

Syafiq Ahmad at the 28th SEA Games. Photo: Internet

Syafiq Ahmad (1.75m tall), born in 1995, plays as a forward. His career has taken a leap forward since 2015.

Since joining Kedah's first team, Syafiq Ahmad has scored 10 goals in 50 league appearances. At the same time, while playing for the Malaysia U23 team, he has shown impressive goal-scoring ability with 5 goals in 14 appearances, becoming a top hope for coach Ong Kim Swee.

In addition, Malaysia also has the talented 20-year-old N. Thanabalan, who has 12 caps for the Malaysia U23 team and scored 8 goals. In the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Syafiq Ahmad played a major role in the team's achievement of securing a direct ticket to the finals.

5. Nguyen Cong Phuong (Vietnam)

Nguyen Cong Phuong is in excellent form. Photo: Hoai Hoan

The U22 Vietnam team has many good players like Van Thanh, Van Toan, and Xuan Truong. However, the role of striker Cong Phuong cannot be denied. In the recent U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Cong Phuong's goal-scoring record was on par with strikers from North Korea and South Korea, with 4 goals, and only behind Komatsu Ren (Japan) and Ayman Hussein of Iraq.

Under coach Huu Thang's guidance in a 4-1-4-1 formation, the HAGL striker was able to further develop his long-range shooting ability. According to statistics, in the U23 Vietnam team, Cong Phuong scored 26 goals in 33 appearances. Cong Phuong made a significant contribution to securing a place in the U23 Asian Championship finals next year.

Trung Kien