U20 Việt Nam striker featured on FIFA website

The website said that while history may repeat itself, a history-making strike can hardly be replicated. Therefore, a striker will need not only skills and vision but also composure and luck if he is to have his name written in football folklore.

Thành’s name is already in the history books: he scored the match-winning goal against hosts Bahrain in last year’s AFC U-19 Championship, which sealed his country’s maiden qualification to the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The goal occurred in the all-important quarter-final stage, with the winners progressing to represent Asia in the global showpiece. Opponents Bahrain pressed hard and came close to breaking the deadlock. Having weathered the hosts’ storm, though, the Vietnamese went ahead in dramatic fashion.

Born to a football-mad father, Thành was encouraged to play the game at a young age. At 13-years-old, he was recruited by local Huế FC and has since been part of the second-division side’s first team.

Now Thành has the chance of rubbing shoulders with the world’s best youth talent as the U-20 World Cup draws nearer. France, Honduras and New Zealand are the hurdles which Việt Nam must overcome if they are to replicate their Asian success on the global stage.

Despite the daunting task that lies ahead, Thành remains upbeat.

“For every tournament in which I participate, I usually set the highest goal for myself. If you want to win the games, you must have the winning mentality. The U-20 World Cup is the biggest tournament for us and I will do my utmost to do our supporters proud.”