HOT: Will Coach Troussier return to Vietnam for work?

Following a not-so-smooth separation from the Vietnam national team, Coach Troussier could make a comeback in another capacity.

On the evening of April 21, a reliable source indicated that Coach Philippe Troussier might return to Vietnam in the near future. However, this reappearance of the French strategist is reportedly not related to leading the national team or a professional club. Instead, he is likely to engage in youth training work, an area always considered his strength and also his greatest passion for the 1955-born coach.

Previously, Troussier had a period working at PVF Center from 2018 to 2021. During the 2019–2020 period, he simultaneously held the role of head coach for the Vietnam U20 team. The most notable achievement of this strategist was helping the Vietnam U20 team draw 0-0 with Japan U20 in the qualifiers, thereby securing a ticket to the 2021 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals. Unfortunately, the tournament was later canceled due to the impact of the pandemic, preventing this result from being more clearly verified.

Nevertheless, the likelihood of Troussier actually returning to Vietnam is currently not rated highly. About half a year ago, he declined an invitation from a V.League club despite being offered quite good remuneration. Besides financial factors, the fact that major training centers like PVF have stabilized their personnel structure, from foreign experts to domestic coaches, also makes the chance of a reunion quite fragile.

During the period leading the Vietnam U23 team and the Vietnam national team from February 2023 to March 2024, Coach Troussier did not achieve success as expected. His most notable achievements were winning the bronze medal at the 32nd SEA Games with Vietnam U23 and securing a ticket to the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals. However, the biggest goal of helping Vietnamese football advance further on the World Cup journey remained unfulfilled.

The turning point that led to his departure from the hot seat came from the defeat against Indonesia in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In the context of the opponent's strong transformation thanks to the wave of naturalized players, the Vietnam national team could not create the necessary advantage. A series of unsatisfactory results forced the Vietnam Football Federation to terminate cooperation with the French strategist earlier than planned.

Still, Troussier left some definite value, particularly in providing opportunities for the young player generation born in 2003 and 2004. Names like Khuất Văn Khang, Nguyễn Thái Sơn, and Nguyễn Đình Bắc all matured noticeably when trusted at the national team level. This is considered an important foundation for the future of Vietnamese football, even though his journey with the Vietnam national team ended incompletely.

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