Behind the U17 Asian Cup finals
U17 Vietnam could not win a ticket to the 2025 U17 World Cup finals. However, the 3 draws against strong opponents such as Japan, UAE and Australia are also beyond the expectations of many fans and experts.
"I think the results in the U17 Asian tournament are not bad. I would like to emphasize that the players' abilities have been demonstrated in the last tournament. And success is the mark of the whole group, not just each individual.
I think wearing the U20, U23 jersey or the Vietnam national team is still a long way ahead. The players must always try to practice and practice hard to reach a higher level," Mr. Roland shared.
Also from the journey in the U17 Asian finals, in the before, during and after the tournament, coach Roland himself also learned many great lessons for himself. First is the result of the process of preparing the physical foundation for U17 Vietnam.
"I especially value building a physical foundation for my students. Before the tournament, I spent a lot of time strengthening that, in addition to the tactical skills for my students.
We try to make sure that the players get the best physical points. More importantly, the mentality of the players in both training and competition must try to reach the highest point to have the highest preparation," said Mr. Roland.
Lessons for investment
If they want to go to the World Cup, preparations for the Vietnamese youth teams need to be done more meticulously and in many aspects. Of course, to do that, the cooperation of businesses in investing in Vietnam national teams is necessary.
Besides the top of the problem, the core value after the journey of U17 Vietnam is the future of training children for home football. As the Roland coach used to analyze, right from 16-17 years old, young players accidentally had to go through the difference in the match fund for 1 year. There are players who can only play 8-10 matches for 12 months.
The case like Hanoi U17 is more fortunate. Going to the final and the U17 National Championship 2025 helps the virtues, Hong Phong, Nguyen Luc, Viet Long ... to play 16 matches in the whole tournament. As a result, they became the main double of U17 Vietnam, throughout the journey of the U17 Asian Prize 2025.
"I think that the work I am doing needs to continue to be invested in better, not just stopping at the recent results. The players need to have more domestic and international tournaments to compete and improve their skills.
I know that the investment of VFF and Hanoi clubs in youth football is huge, but this cannot be done alone by VFF but requires the cooperation of businesses, corporations, and individuals with conditions.
Only then can youth football develop and become the next generation for the national team in the future," coach Cristiano analyzed.
Having experienced the world's two largest football regions, Brazil and Portugal, Mr. Roland shared: "Large foreign clubs have big investors behind them. They have invested heavily not only in profits after investment and sponsorship but also in their passion for football, especially when we are talking about Vietnamese youth football.
They have proven their great ability and desire. More importantly, that spirit is not only present in this generation of players but also in the "kindergarten" in the future. If we have investment, passion and construction to develop the country's football, one day the national team will reach the World Cup".
Coach Cristiano Roland pointed out a case that is doing well in Vietnamese football.
"Hanoi FC with the investment of T&T Group is a case that needs to be expanded. When I was playing for this club, some current national team players were picking up the ball to support their seniors. At that time, Mr. Hien was still the Chairman. And now, when his son, Do Vinh Quang, took over, the team still maintained a consistent philosophy.
That is a sustainable investment for Hanoi FC's youth football and first team. Thanks to that, the young players also support our ball picking at times that have now continued, becoming pillars not only in the club but also at the national team level.
To achieve this, Mr. Hien often extends that the owners must be truly passionate about football. They must have sustainable investment in football, from youth to professionalism.
At this point, I really hope that many clubs will join hands to invest and develop like that. The sustainable and stable investment model, providing many generations of players like the national team, needs to be replicated in Vietnam," Mr. Roland emphasized.
