Vietnamese freestyle footballer meets Haaland, Drogba, Hazard at 2023 Ballon d'Or

Freestyle footballer Do Kim Phuc meets Erling Haaland at the 2023 Ballon d’Or Ceremony on Oct. 30, 2023. Photo courtesy of Phuc

One of the rare Vietnamese people invited to the ceremony held on Oct. 30, Phuc could not hide his happiness at meeting top footballers in the world. He took photos with Erling Haaland, Lautaro Martinez, Eden Hazard, and Didier Drogba and called his experience "unbelievable."

"I have watched [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi receiving the Ballon d’Or awards through television since I was a child," Phuc said. "Now I have the chance to attend the ceremony in person and sit just a few rows behind the world’s famous footballers. I can’t describe how I’m feeling now."

Freestyle footballer Do Kim Phuc at the red carpet of the 2023 Ballon d’Or Ceremony on Oct. 30, 2023. Photo courtesy of Phuc

The footballer added that he got goosebumps when Messi was announced the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or, marking the Argentinian athlete’s eighth Ballon d’Or award.

"Everyone present at the venue stood up and applauded for Messi," he said. "It felt like they wanted to pay tribute to the world’ legend footballer."

He said at the same time, Haaland was comforted by his teammates, while Mbappe left the room immediately.

His attendance at the ceremony marked another milestone in a memorable year for Phuc, as he had met Neymar and Ronaldo earlier this year. The athlete said he hoped to have similar trips in the future to meet footballers he had been admiring since his childhood.

Phuc, 34, started his career as a freestyle footballer in 2007. He has won many domestic and international prizes since.