Van Quyet sets record, coach Kim Sang-sik immediately calls him back to Vietnam team

Coach Kim Sang-sik called Nguyen Van Quyet back to the Vietnam national team to play in a series of friendly matches in October 2024. The Hanoi player continued to show good form with 2 goals in the first 3 rounds of V.League 2024-2025, thereby equaling the record of the domestic player who scored the most goals in the history of the tournament (equal to Le Cong Vinh, 116 goals).

It was this convincing performance that made Mr. Kim add the striker born in 1991 to the national team list. Previously, he was not called up for the September matches.

The last time Van Quyet joined the Vietnam national team was in the November 2023 training session to prepare for the two matches against the Philippines and Iraq in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The captain of Hanoi FC did not make many significant contributions. After that, he was not in the plans of coach Philippe Troussier and the first matches under Mr. Kim Sang-sik.

Van Quyet can play as a striker, left winger or attacking midfielder. Currently, the Vietnamese team does not have many options for this position. Younger players are having problems with form, fitness, professional level and even motivation to compete. Only Tien Linh has somewhat shown his form in the recent period in V.League.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced the time and venue for the national team's friendly matches in October. Both matches of the Vietnam team (against Lebanon and India) will take place at Thien Truong Stadium (Nam Dinh).

Coach Kim Sang-sik and his players are expected to gather on October 5, after the players finish round 4 of the 2024-2025 V.League. The Vietnamese team will play India at 6 p.m. on October 9 and Lebanon at 6 p.m. on October 15.

The ranking position of the Vietnamese team in the last months of the year is very important. This is the basis for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to divide the seed groups for the draw of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying rounds.

In the latest FIFA rankings (updated on September 19), the Vietnamese team dropped one place after two consecutive losses. Specifically, the Vietnamese team was deducted 6.64 points and dropped to 116th place. This is the lowest position of the Vietnamese team on the FIFA rankings since October 2017.