I want to continue to develop, express myself every day and dedicate myself to the Vietnamese national team. If my performance can help the team compete for another title, it will be my greatest personal achievement," Le Giang shared on the homepage of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
According to Le Giang's sharing, his idols are two former goalkeepers Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon. He revealed that he watched the 2002 World Cup when he was young and watched Korean national team goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae play. Currently, Lee Woon-jae is the goalkeeper coach of the Vietnamese national team.
Life brought them together in a predestined way. Currently, Lee Woon-jae is my goalkeeper coach in the Vietnamese national team. For me, it is a great honor to train with him and learn from him every day," Le Giang said.
Under the guidance of Lee Woon-jae, Le Giang has gradually improved herself to occupy the number 1 position in the goal of the Vietnamese team.
Challenges at the FIFA ASEAN Cup
The Vietnamese team entered the FIFA ASEAN Cup as the ASEAN Cup champion. However, Le Giang believes that past success does not mean that the team will easily defend their title.
Once you have experienced the feeling of winning the championship for the country, of course you will want to experience that feeling again. But we all know how difficult it is to win an international tournament," the goalkeeper of Ho Chi Minh City Police shared.
According to Le Giang, the important thing for the Vietnamese team is to maintain concentration, not to be affected by previous achievements and respect all opponents. He said: "We must maintain a humble attitude, respect all opponents and focus on what we can control.
The Vietnamese team is in Group B, ranked 1st in Indonesia, where they will face Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. Goalkeeper Le Giang predicts that this will be a difficult group, especially when each participating team has the opportunity to field the strongest squad.
I predict Group B will be very competitive. As a player, these are exactly the matches we want to participate in," Le Giang assessed.
The inclusion of the FIFA ASEAN Cup in FIFA's official schedule is also assessed by Le Giang as an important step forward for regional football. According to him, highly competitive matches will help Southeast Asian players have more opportunities to affirm their abilities in the international arena.
He said: "Being included in FIFA's official schedule gives this tournament more special meaning. This is an opportunity for players and Southeast Asian national teams to raise their level in the football world.
The aspiration of Le Giang Patrik
For Le Giang Patrik, his goal is very simple: Constantly improving himself and dedicating himself to Vietnamese football.
In addition to the goal of competing for high achievements at the FIFA ASEAN Cup with his home team, Le Giang also aims his vision for the future of Vietnamese football far beyond a single tournament. He sees the great development potential of Vietnamese football and hopes to contribute to its development there.
My biggest dream is to witness Vietnamese football continue to develop and maximize its potential. This country has incredible passion and talent, and I want to see that transform into long-term success," Le Giang said.
For a player, cups, clean sheet matches or personal awards are often important milestones. However, Le Giang believes that the value of a career lies in the contributions left after the player retires.
For me, heritage is not just simply cups, clean sheets or individual awards. One day, we will all play the final match. What remains after that is much more important," Le Giang concluded.
