Vietnam Team: Coach Kim Sang Sik's bold plan

Coach Kim Sang Sik is gradually upgrading the strength of the Vietnamese team from a source of quality naturalized players, aiming to participate in the World Cup in the near future.

Brazilian midfielder is about to join the Vietnam national team

Recently, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent a dispatch to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Security, requesting support for the naturalization of Sant Ana Santos Gustavo. The document emphasized the long-term goal of strengthening the national men's football team , aiming for the dream of winning a ticket to the World Cup.

“To continue the success of Vietnamese football in the following years, especially towards the World Cup qualifiers, with the goal of realizing the dream of participating in the World Cup, after a period of monitoring and professional evaluation, it is found that player Sant Ana Santos Gustavo (Brazilian nationality) currently playing as a central defender forSHB Da Nang Football Club is a player with expertise, talent, and suitable for Vietnamese football,” the document clearly stated.

Santos Gustavo is a necessary addition to the central defender position in the Vietnam national team. Photo: SHB Da Nang

Notably, coach Kim Sang Sik himself was the one who "checked" Santos Gustavo, then proposed to VFF to support the earliest naturalization for this player.

In fact, Gustavo is not a strange name to Vietnamese audiences. The player born in 1995 (1m95 tall) has been playing in the V-League since 2019, wearing the shirts of teams such as Viettel (now The Cong Viettel), Saigon, SLNA, Than Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa before joining SHB Da Nang Club this season.

Gustavo is highly appreciated for his expertise, making a strong impression when playing for Thanh Hoa, with the achievement of Bronze Medal in the 2022 National Cup, National Cup Champion 2023, 2024, National Super Cup 2023 and National Super Cup runner-up 2023/24.

If Santos Gustavo is added, coach Kim Sang Sik can feel more secure with the central defender position in the Vietnam team, in the context that veterans such as Duy Manh, Bui Tien Dung, Que Ngoc Hai... are no longer at the peak of their performance.

Coach Kim Sang Sik's plan

If everything goes well, Santos Gustavo will be able to receive Vietnamese citizenship in early 2026. He will be able to join the Vietnamese national team in March, preparing for the very important match against Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

In the first leg, Vietnam lost 0-4, but it was an unequal match when the "Tigers" fielded an extremely strong squad with a group of naturalized players. However, recently, the Malaysian team has been heavily criticized for its policy of naturalizing players of unclear origin, causing the President of the country's Football Federation to resign.

Xuan Son is about to return to the Vietnam national team. Photo: Nam Dinh FC

Meanwhile, in the rematch at the end of March next year, the Vietnamese team, in addition to the presence of Santos Gustavo, will welcome the return of key striker Nguyen Xuan Son.

Besides, another foreign player that Hanoi FC is speeding up the naturalization process is Hendrio (Do Hoang Hen). He is expected to be able to play in the V-League as a domestic player in early 2026.

Hendrio is also a familiar face to Vietnamese football, especially to the fans of Nam Dinh Steel. He is an important partner helping Xuan Son reach the peak of his career.

Unlike Malaysia, coach Kim Sang Sik only needs 3 important positions: center back, midfielder and striker. With a vertical axis of high-quality naturalized players, the strength of the Vietnamese team will certainly be different.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-va-ke-hoach-tao-bao-cua-hlv-kim-sang-sik-2444513.html