Vietnam team increased 2 ranks, at 114th position in the world; Mbappe regrets not being able to play with Ronaldo

Vietnam team increased 2 ranks, at 114th position in the world

According to the latest update on the FIFA rankings, the Vietnam National Team has increased 2 places compared to last month, from 116th to 114th in the world.

Specifically, in December 2024, the "Golden Dragon Army" had 2 wins against Laos (4-1) and Indonesia (1-0) at the Southeast Asian Championship.ASEAN Cup 2024(AFF Cup).

This achievement helped the Vietnamese team gain 3.79 points, bringing the total score to 1164.79 points. With the current ranking, coach Kim Sang-sik's team has also returned to the top 20 in Asia.

According to FIFA statistics, Vietnam, with 2 promotion levels, is also the team with the biggest progress on the December 2024 rankings. Meanwhile, the Myanmar team - the opponent ofVietnam teamIn the final match of Group B of the ASEAN Cup 2024, Vietnam lost the most points (-4.80 points) and, along with Indonesia, are the two teams with the biggest decline in the rankings.

In Southeast Asia, the Vietnam team is still ranked 2nd after Thailand. The "Golden Temple Team" was added 2.93 points after two victories against Malaysia and Timor Leste at the ASEAN Cup 2024, thereby maintaining the 97th position in the world and continuing to lead in the region.

The journey of the Vietnam Team at the ASEAN Cup 2024 will continue to be counted for the next ranking in January 2025.

The goal of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will be to accumulate as many points as possible at this year's ASEAN Cup, thereby gradually bringing the Vietnamese team back into the top 100 of the world rankings.

Mbappe regrets not being able to play with Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappe, who idolized Cristiano Ronaldo since childhood, expressed regret at the prospect of never being able to play alongside the Real Madrid legend.

The French striker has never hidden his admiration for Ronaldo. As a child,Mbappeconsiders CR7 an ideal role model and closely followed the Portuguese superstar's glorious years at Real Madrid.

Mbappe also expressed that admiration at his Real Madrid debut this past summer. He reenacted Ronaldo's famous phrase: "Uno, dos, tres, Hala Madrid!" from 2009. However, it is unlikely that Mbappe will become teammates with Ronaldo in his career.

Mbappe is now at Real Madrid and has quickly made his mark. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is enjoying his winter break in Riyadh before returning to the pitch on January 9 for Al Nassr, when they face Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League.

However, Mbappe is well aware of the huge gap to reach the stature of Ronaldo, the greatest scorer in the history of "Los Blancos" with 450 goals in 438 matches. Up to now, Mbappe has only 13 goals in 23 matches.

With a spirit of learning and a desire to conquer, Mbappe has the right to hope to continue to reap success and carve his name into the legendary temple at Real Madrid, where Ronaldo left a great legacy.

Indonesia loses Premier League star in AFF Cup 2024

Recently, the Indonesian team hopes to add two naturalized players, Justin Hubner and Ivar Jenner, from the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2024.

These two stars can join the team from December 21st after completing their duties at their home club. However, Justin Hubner suddenly suffered a serious injury recently.

Specifically, Indonesia will not be able to have the service of center-back Justin Hubner until the end of the 2024 AFF Cup. This center-back suffered a serious injury in the match between U21 Wolverhampton and U21 Aston Villa in the Premier League 2 2024/2025 on December 14.

On his personal Instagram, Justin Hubner said: "For those asking when I will be back, I will probably have to rest for 4 weeks. I have a concussion so I need a lot of rest. I will be back soon."

Having to rest for a month, Justin Hubner will not be able to join the Indonesian national team to compete from the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2024 as planned. This is certainly a big loss for coach Shin Tae-yong's team when they really need this star for the knockout round.

At this time, Indonesia still hopes to add the remaining naturalized player to the list of 26 players participating in the AFF Cup 2024, Ivar Jenner, a midfielder playing in the Dutch national championship for Club Utrecht.

Indonesia is currently ranked 2nd with 4 points after 3 matches, so they have the right to decide because if they win against the Philippines in the final match, they will advance.

Real Madrid recruits 18-year-old center back

Real Madrid and Leganes have agreed final terms on the transfer of centre-back Lamini Fati.

Marca said Fati will sign a five-year contract with Real Madrid. "Los Blancos" paid Leganes a transfer fee of 120,000 euros, excluding performance bonuses. Fati has passed the medical examination and will debut at the Bernabeu in January 2025.

From December 20, Fati will start training with his teammates at the Valdebebas center. This central defender is expected to play for Real Madrid C or the U19 team instead of contributing to the first team.

At the age of 18, Fati is 1.80 m tall, left-footed and is considered to have great potential for development. Before joining Real Madrid, Fati was a member of the Leganes B team. Previously, Leganes refused to sell the 18-year-old centre-back to Valencia because they wanted to maintain a good business relationship with Real Madrid./.