In his article, FOX Sports Asia football editor Gabriel Tan affirmed that 2018 has been a memorable year for Vietnam which started with a remarkable run to the AFC U-23 Championship final, which was followed by a fourth-place finish at Asian Games 2018, before they capped off the year by winning the AFF Suzuki Cup.
“Coach Park Hang-seo deserves plenty of credit for his work from the touchline but, on the field, one soared higher than the rest for the Golden Dragons,” he wrote.
Nguyen Quang Hai, 21, has truly emerged as “one of the brightest prospects not just in Southeast Asia but across the whole continent”.
“The Hanoi starlet has all the attributes to make a devastating attacker: impeccable technique, a bag full of tricks, blistering pace and a keen eye for goal, especially from long-range and dead-ball situations”.
According to Tan, maturity and understanding of the game are Hai’s strength.
“Throughout the recent Suzuki Cup, Quang Hai proved to be one for the big occasion but was also unafraid to take leadership, keeping the intensity for Vietnam with his tireless running but also knowing when to slow things down when the situation called for,” he wrote.
Midfielder Hai was named the Most Valuable Player of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018 for his significant contributions to the Vietnamese football squad’s victory at the tournament.
He has been also named among the 10 most anticipated young stars at the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.
Source: VNA