'My parents are proud of me'

With this eye-catching goal, Phan Hoai Nam was also voted the best player of the match. The striker born in 2002 could not hide his emotions: "I was really overwhelmed when I scored a goal to contribute to the team's overall result. This goal will also help me gain confidence, giving me more motivation to constantly try and play better in the upcoming matches."

Tiền đạo đội Trường ĐH Tôn Đức Thắng: 'Ba mẹ tự hào về tôi'- Ảnh 1. — Phan Hoai Nam *(right)* contributed to bringing Ton Duc Thang University team to the quarterfinals.

Besides, Hoai Nam did not forget to mention his family: "My parents watching at home must be very proud of me, especially my father." Nam shared that he did not disappoint his parents' expectations. Now, the civil engineering student (Ton Duc Thang University) ensures both his studies and his ability to play soccer well. The striker from Gia Lai said: "I started playing football at the age of 9 when I played with friends in the village on the rice fields and coffee plantations. My father realized that I had a talent for football. And in the past, he was also a player for the Dak Lak youth team, but could not become a professional player. Therefore, he expected me to be able to continue his dream, which was to pursue a career in football. My father took me to many places to audition for youth football academies such as HAGL, Viettel and PVF. After failing the exam at the mountain town team, my father took me to audition elsewhere and finally passed the exam at Viettel and PVF. At that time, my father decided to let me attend PVF Academy."

Hoai Nam said he went to Ho Chi Minh City to train at PVF, but only for 3 months in the summer, he returned to his hometown because he failed the exams. At that time, this young man was very sad because he thought he could not make his father happy. "My father realized that I had done my best, so he encouraged his son a lot. I was sad for a while, but then quickly regained my spirit to focus on studying," he said.

Hoai Nam shared that he thought a lot when choosing a university. And once again, his parents stood by him to help him make the right decision. The student of civil engineering shared: "My parents let me choose which school to study at, and also supported me in choosing a school with a strong football movement to easily satisfy my passion for football. From there, I decided to study at Ton Duc Thang University, because it has good facilities, and it is also a school with a very strong student football movement." When arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to studying, Nam also joined football clubs and competed in many school tournaments. The striker's ability attracted the attention of coaches. This was also the opportunity that brought him to the Ton Duc Thang University football team. Up to now, he has played for the school team for 3 years.