Joining youth football training in Vietnam since 2007, coach Guillaume Graechen not only directly coaches but also participates in discovering and nurturing many young talents, and at the same time builds a foundation of discipline, competition thinking and fair-play spirit for students.
Many generations of famous stars of Vietnamese football have been led and trained by Mr. Guillaume Graechen such as: Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Pham Ly Duc, Nhat Minh, Quoc Viet...
To recognize Guillaume Graechen's persistent contributions in nearly 20 years of dedication to the S-shaped country, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) awarded the Medal "For the Cause of Vietnamese Football" as an official recognition.
Within the framework of the 2026 Children's Football Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, representative of VFF, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vu - Vice President in charge of Communications - directly performed the awarding ceremony.
Sharing about this decision, a representative of VFF said: "Although holding French nationality, coach Guillaume Graechen has worked in Vietnam for two decades, contributing to training many generations of quality players, and laying the foundation for modern training methods, suitable for the long-term development orientation of youth football. His contributions are extremely persistent, profound and deserve to be honored.
At the event, national team player Nguyen Nhat Minh, representing generations of students, shared: "For us, the teacher is not only a football teacher but also a person who orients the career path, we must play beautifully and effectively.
His lessons have followed us throughout the professional competition journey. The fact that he is honored today is the common pride of all students. Personally, I feel very lucky to be his student, being trained by him from the days when he was a boy of 11 or 12 years old in Pho Nui.
Not only Nhat Minh, many players who grew up through the guidance and training of "teacher Giom" such as Cong Phuong were also present to congratulate, creating a meaningful reunion.
The event not only marks the nearly two decades of dedication of Mr. Guillaume Graechen but is also a place for generations to return to express gratitude to the teacher who contributed to shaping his career.
In parallel with the honoring ceremony, the 2026 Children's Football Festival at Hoa Lu Stadium on May 16-17, 2026 brought an experience and selection space for young children passionate about football.
Based on the ability assessment results, the coaching staff will select the most outstanding faces to advance to the knockout round held in Gia Lai.
This is considered an important stepping stone on the journey to become an official student of Nutifood Football Academy.
