How can the expensive Bulgarian Vietnamese player help U23 Vietnam?

With the presence of a Vietnamese-Bulgarian player worth more than 12 billion VND, the Vietnam U23 team has more opportunities to compete for achievements at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup.

Overseas Vietnamese player Tran Thanh Trung in Ninh Binh Club shirt - Photo: NINH BINH FC

On August 25, coach Kim Sang Sik announced the list of Vietnam U23 team to prepare for the 2026 U23 Asian Qualifiers in September.

Among the 24 players summoned, the notable appearance is the Vietnamese-American player Tran Thanh Trung (Chung Nguyen Do) - Top 3 Best Young Players in Bulgaria in the 2024-2025 season.

At 20 years old, Tran Thanh Trung is already a mainstay of Slavia Sofia. He is valued at 400,000 euros (about 12.2 billion VND) by transfermarkt, much higher than Khuat Van Khang - the highest valued player of U23 Vietnam with a price of 300,000 euros (about 9.1 billion VND).

Improving the quality of U23 Vietnam's midfield

The Vietnam U23 team won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship held in Indonesia at the end of July after defeating the host 1-0 in the final.

At that time, the key central midfielder duo of the Vietnam U23 team was Van Truong - Xuan Bac. In which, Xuan Bac emerged from the second match of the group stage against U23 Cambodia when Thai Son did not play as well as expected in the opening match against U23 Laos.

But clearly, to be stronger and able to compete for achievements in the continental playground, the U23 Vietnam team needs to have more new, higher quality players. Especially in the midfield, to create a launching pad for the attack.

Tran Thanh Trung (right) and Thai Son in the match in round 2 of V-League 2025-2026 - Photo: NINH BINH FC

Therefore, the presence of talented overseas Vietnamese player Tran Thanh Trung in the Vietnam U23 team is worth waiting for, in both defensive and offensive roles.

He used to play for Bulgaria's youth teams and is highly regarded by Barcelona scouts as one of Europe's promising midfielders, so he promises to be an ideal addition to the midfield of the Vietnam U23 team.

Tran Thanh Trung entered the field to replace Chau Ngoc Quang in the 78th minute of Ninh Binh Club's 4-0 win over Thanh Hoa in round 2 of V-League 2025-2026 on August 23.

After only 10 minutes of observing from the stands, coach Kim Sang Sik decided to give Tran Thanh Trung a chance when he saw the technique and sharp tactical vision of this Vietnamese-American player.

The Vietnam U23 team currently has many players who can play in the central midfield position such as Van Truong, Xuan Bac, Thai Son, Viktor Le, Cong Phuong...

All have the advantage of having worked with coach Kim Sang Sik for a long time to understand the tactical requirements of the Korean coach and play well with the surrounding satellites.

Meanwhile, Tran Thanh Trung has just returned to his hometown to play for Ninh Binh Club, getting used to the hot weather is already a problem, not to mention the cultural barriers and ways of playing football.

But with his class, if Tran Thanh Trung adapts well in this training session, he will be of great help to the Vietnam U23 team.

Opportunity to show Tran Thanh Trung

The Vietnam U23 team will compete in Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ). Coach Kim Sang Sik's team will meet U23 Bangladesh (September 3), U23 Singapore (September 6) and U23 Yemen (September 9).

The 11 group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the finals against hosts Saudi Arabia.

Back to topic

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cau-thu-viet-kieu-bulgaria-dat-gia-giup-gi-cho-u23-viet-nam-20250826132541424.htm