Vietnamese talent promoted to B team by former Belgian champion

Overseas Vietnamese talent Pham Anh Khoi is only 18 years old but has been promoted to the B team (for U.23 players) by Royal Antwerp Club.

The honor of overseas Vietnamese talent

Young talent Pham Anh Khoi has a special honor when Royal Antwerp Club (who won the Belgian championship in the 2022-2023 season) put his name on the B team list. This is the team closest to Antwerp's first team currently participating in the Belgian Pro League. At the age of 18, the Vietnamese-American talent will train with his U.22 and U.23 seniors to compete for a place on the first team.

Pham Anh Khoi was born in 2007 in Hanoi , with both parents being Vietnamese. Anh Khoi and his family moved to Belgium in 2009, when he was only 2 years old. In the country known as the "heart of Europe", Anh Khoi showed his special talent for playing football.

Anh Khoi in the Royal Antwerp youth team shirt

PHOTO: ROYAL ANTWERP

Initially, Anh Khoi was noticed by OH Leuven (a team that also plays in the Belgian national championship). This was also the starting point for the Vietnamese-American born in 2007. After 12 years of struggling, the most memorable of which was the period playing for the Royal Antwerp youth team when Anh Khoi was called up to play for the Belgian U.16F, the Vietnamese-American player was promoted to the B team.

"Anh Khoi is a creative striker, with the ability to play in many different positions. Anh Khoi's speed, ball control and dribbling ability will help U.23 Royal Antwerp decide the match," affirmed Mr. Jean Kindermans, director of the Royal Antwerp Youth Football Academy.

In the 2022-2023 season, Anh Khoi contributed to 21 goals (11 goals, 10 assists) after 24 matches in the Belgian U.16 Elite tournament. Anh Khoi was called up to the Belgian U.16F team. U.16F (abbreviation of U.16 Future) is a team for players who have not yet fully developed physically in Belgian football.

Mr. Khoi is 1.7 m tall and can play well in many positions.

PHOTO: ROYAL ANTWERP

Anh Khoi is 1.7 m tall, possesses agility, speed and handles the ball neatly and delicately. Trained according to European standards, Anh Khoi has good endurance and the ability to move continuously at high intensity. Anh Khoi can play many positions from striker (number 9), winger (number 7 or 11), or play in the center position (number 10).

Quality Vietnamese overseas cast

Anh Khoi was once introduced to play for the U.17 Vietnam team, but the overseas Vietnamese talent has not had the chance. However, with great potential, and the honor of playing in the Belgian national championship this season, Anh Khoi can have a chance with the U.19 or U.23 Vietnam team in the next 1 or 2 years.

Mr. Khoi has Vietnamese nationality (born in Vietnam, both parents are Vietnamese) and is ready to join the national team if called up.

Besides Anh Khoi, Vietnamese football also has many overseas Vietnamese talents who have played or are playing in Europe. Besides Brandon Ly (a young talent who played for U.21 Burnley) and Tran Thanh Trung (who played in the Bulgarian national championship with CSKA Sofia), there is also Julien Nguyen, an overseas Vietnamese who is playing for U.19 Fuenlabrada in the Spanish youth tournament.

Sharing with Thanh Nien Newspaper, Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that he will discuss with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) about the case of overseas Vietnamese players, to plan who to call up and use in which team... in the near future.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tai-nang-viet-kieu-duoc-cuu-vuong-giai-bi-don-len-doi-b-18525082011140193.htm