A memorable milestone
In early 2025, Viktor Le had a big turning point in his life and career. The overseas Vietnamese midfielder received Vietnamese citizenship after 3 years of playing in the V.League, while opening up competition opportunities for Vietnam national teams in the near future. In fact, after only 2 months, this player was named in the list of U22 Vietnam players to prepare for the upcoming important tournaments.
Mr. Kim Sang-sik did not want to miss the opportunity to evaluate Viktor Le's ability and integration, especially when he is still old enough to participate in the 33rd SEA Games at the end of this year. The task of evaluating Viktor Le in detail was assigned to head coach Dinh Hong Vinh. After nearly 10 days of gathering, practicing and competing in Hanoi, Mr. Vinh briefly commented: "Viktor Le, please!".
Overseas Vietnamese players continue to be selected to join U22 Vietnam to compete in China in international friendly tournaments. Right in the opening match, Viktor Le was named in the starting lineup. This is also the opening match of an official tournament at the national youth team level of Viktor Le.
This milestone became even more memorable when the 22-year-old midfielder played the full 90 minutes. That proves that he received the trust of coach Dinh Hong Vinh and the coaching staff. In another aspect, this is also an important basis for Mr. Vinh to carefully review Viktor Le's performance, personal techniques and how to distribute his strength throughout his playing time on the pitch.
A promising piece
Viktor Le was placed in the central midfielder position by coach Dinh Hong Vinh in the 3-4-3 formation that was often seen under Mr. Kim Sang-sik. In fact, he often plays in this position at Hong Linh Ha Tinh club. Experts all assess Viktor Le as suitable for the two central midfielders' formation, from 4-4-2 to 3-4-3.
With a height of 1m78, long legs, good running power and stable jumping ability, Viktor Le ensures the ability to intercept, recover the ball or compete in a high ball in the middle of the field.
In addition, after a period of playing in the V.League, the midfielder's confidence in holding the ball breakthroughs has been gradually improved. Instead of falling behind and just hanging around the center circle of the stadium, Viktor Le was ready to move, moving into the opponent's home field to support the attack with his teammates.
Looking at the video of nearly 2 minutes of the match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Korea, Viktor Le's playing skills are partly reflected. He was directly involved in the home team's goal-scoring situation. Receiving the ball from Van Truong from midfield, the overseas Vietnamese midfielder created a very open pass to the right wing, then proactively moved into the penalty area to increase the attack plan for U22 Vietnam.
Viktor Le and Van Truong had flexible exchanges on the field. When Van Truong pulled the ball back to play as a playmaker, Viktor Le was ready to push him up and take on the role of a teammates' virtual striker. At that time, he could participate in heading the ball into the penalty area, or coordinate to build a wall with his teammates around him.
Basically, Viktor Le has been having a smooth start at U22 Vietnam. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh also appreciated the prospects and created more opportunities for this overseas Vietnamese player. Importantly, he needs to further promote his form and skills to be worthy of a position in the coaching staff calculation towards the SEA Games.
Viktor Le was born in 2003 in Moscow (Russia), with a Vietnamese father and a Russian mother. He has the advantage of having been trained at the famous club CSKA Moscow (Russia) and having played 3 seasons in the V.League. Up to now, this player has played 44 matches and scored 1 goal in the Vietnam professional tournament.
