French club president compliments Vietnam star midfielder after league debut

By Lam Thoa August 5, 2022 | 04:00 pm PT

Nguyen Quang Hai plays for Pau FC in a French Ligue 2 match against Guingamp on July 30, 2022. Photo by Pau FC

Pau FC President Bernard Laporte-Fray called Nguyen Quang Hai a "warrior" after the Vietnamese midfielder made his Ligue 2 debut last week.

"Quang Hai will gradually get better. He came all the way from Vietnam and his family is not here. He also cannot speak French or English, so everything was quite challenging. But Hai is a warrior. He has good skills with agility so I think he will quickly find an important position in the squad," Laporte-Fray told French newspaper La Republique des Pyrenees on Thursday.

Hai’s debut in France’s second division Ligue 2 was not complete as Pau FC lost 0-4 to Guingamp. Hai played the last 30 minutes of the game and although he couldn’t make a difference, he was still the second highest-rated player of Pau FC in that game, with 13 touches, a pass accuracy of 100 percent and two chances from set pieces.

Hai signed a two-year contract with Pau FC on June 30, becoming the first Vietnamese player to play in a professional football league in France. Pau FC have been supportive of the 25-year-old midfielder to adapt to a new environment. Currently, he is being assisted by a French interpreter to communicate with the team.