Vietnamese-Czech goalkeeper pledges to 'do my best' for national team

Filip was in the list of 34 players that coach Philippe Troussier called up to the national team for the Asian Cup preparation. The Vietnamese-Czech keeper said his dream finally came true.

"This is a wonderful moment for me. After nine years of waiting, I have obtained Vietnamese citizenship and was called up to the national team. The process of waiting for this moment has been very long. I'm extremely happy and for my family it's great pride," Filip said after watching the livestream announcing the squad list.

Although Filip has achieved much success in Europe and has been called up to the Czech Republic many times, he believes that being able to play for Vietnam is a big step forward in his career.

"For any player, being called up to the national team is huge. That has always been my goal. I hope I can get to play and contribute my best to Vietnam. Please believe in me," he added.

To become the main keeper of the national team, Filip, who obtained Vietnamese citizenship early this month, will have to compete with Dang Van Lam, who has been the number one choice in the team for seven years.

Filip was born in 1992 to a Czech mother and a Vietnamese father. He started his career at a youth academy and then played for Sparta Prague’s first team, before moving to other Czech clubs like Bydzov, Vlasim, Slova Liberec and Slovacko. Filip was named the best goalkeeper in the Czech National Football League for the 2018-2019 season.

Vietnam team will gather in Hanoi on Dec. 31 and start training at the Vietnam Football Federation headquarters. They will leave for Qatar on Jan. 5, and play a friendly against Kyrgyzstan on Jan. 9.

In the 2024 Asian Cup they will play Japan on Jan. 14, Indonesia on the 19th and Iraq on the 24th.