The magazine placed Hai next to world superstars like Neymar and Manuel Neuer in its special September issue.

Nguyen Quang Hai (R) in an AFC U23 Championship match against UAE on January 10, 2020.

"All Vietnamese fans are wondering why one of the best attacking midfielders in Asia has not yet moved to Europe, and where he will end up when he does eventually go," World Soccer wrote.

World Soccer 500 is an annual list of the globe's most talked-about players, the most newsworthy players who, by definition, are the most important. The magazine compiled its list by choosing key players by league, starting with 50 each for the leading English, German, and Spanish leagues, 40 for France and Italy, between 15 and 25 for middle-ranking leagues, and ending with between five and 10 for smaller equivalents. It then added players who proved important for their national sides and in their respective regions.

The magazine, established in 1960, also included three other Southeast Asian players into the list - midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin, striker Suphanat Mueanta (both from Thailand) and Filipino goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

Hai is the only Vietnamese player to make the list. He finished second with the U23 team at AFC U23 Championship 2018, won the AFF Cup trophy with the national team in the same year and the gold medal with the U22 team at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in 2019. This is also the second time Hai has made the list, the first having been in 2018.

In this issue, World Soccer allocated two pages to Vietnamese football.

Nguyen Quang Hai stands next to Neymar in World Soccer's special September edition.

"Vietnam loves football and loves the national team. The Golden Dragons have slowly become the number one in Southeast Asia," it wrote.

Besides midfielder Hai, World Soccer also mentioned left-back Doan Van Hau, one of the most promising talents in Vietnamese football at present.

Hau has returned to Vietnam after the Dutch club and Hanoi FC failed to agree on terms to further the contract.

Vietnam ceased all football competitions since late July due to the new Covid-19 outbreak. The national team, including Hai and Hau, will gather for training on August 18 to prepare for World Cup 2022 second round qualifiers in October, with Vietnam leading group G on 11 points after five games.

Quang Hai nominated for Best Player in AFF Awards 2019

Hanoi FC star and national team member Nguyen Quang Hai has been nominated for the Best Player title of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Awards 2019 after his impressive performances with both his club and the national team.

Nguyen Quang Hai most popular football face in TV commercials

Star midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai is the most liked football personality in TV commercials, a recent survey has found.

Quang Hai named among Top 5 footballers taking part in AFC Cup 2019 qualifiers

The Fox Sport Asia website has named the Top 5 footballers who are taking part in the AFC Cup 2019 qualifiers. Included in the list is Hanoi FC’s midfield maestro Nguyen Quang Hai.

Vietnamese football to receive US$1.5 million in support from FIFA

All FIFA member associations, including Vietnam, will receive a grant of US$1.5 million each under the terms of FIFA’s Covid-19 relief plan to alleviate the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during his virtual meeting with senior officials of member associations in Southeast Asia on July 29.

HCM City beat Vinacomin to win Women’s National Football Cup

Ho Chi Minh City took the trophy at the 2020 Women’s National Football Cup after breezing past Vinacomin 2-0 in the final at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre on July 25 night.

Source: VnExpress