Introduction
Huỳnh Như was born in 1991 and is a Vietnamese women's football player. She is known for her role as captain of the Vietnam women's national football team at the 2023 Women's World Cup finals, the tournament in which the Vietnam women's team qualified for the first time in history. According to recorded information, she is the best striker in the history of Vietnamese women's football and serves as the team's spiritual leader.
Professional characteristics
According to descriptions in the reference sources, Huỳnh Như is 1.57 m tall and weighs 55 kg. She is highly rated for her tactical vision, individual technique, finishing ability and passing. Beyond her playing ability, she is also mentioned for her ability to encourage her teammates along with her extensive match experience, playing the role of spiritual leader of the team.
Playing career and main milestones
At the time the Vietnam women's team departed for the 2023 Women's World Cup, Huỳnh Như was recorded as playing for the Portuguese club Lank Vilaverdense. In the Vietnam women's squad for the 2023 Women's World Cup, she was the captain, alongside teammates such as vice-captain Trần Thị Thùy Trang, vice-captain Phạm Hải Yến and goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh.
The Vietnam women's team departed for New Zealand on 5 July 2023 to prepare for the 2023 Women's World Cup finals. This was the first time the Vietnam women's team took part in the world stage. During preparation, the team had two friendly matches against New Zealand and Spain.
In the group stage of the 2023 Women's World Cup, the Vietnam women's team lost all three matches to the United States, Portugal and the Netherlands, and did not score any goals. After the tournament, Huỳnh Như and some teammates returned to Nội Bài airport (Hà Nội) at midday on 3 August 2023 and were welcomed by a large number of fans.
Remarks after the 2023 Women's World Cup
In a press interview at Nội Bài airport, Huỳnh Như said: "I and the whole team had wonderful experiences, and playing at the World Cup stage is a pride for a player like me. Before departing, we set the goal of scoring a goal to dedicate to the fans. The whole team also tried hard, but unfortunately we did not achieve the goal as hoped. When we came back here and saw the affection of the fans, I felt very happy. There is only one regret, that we did not get a goal in this tournament." She also expressed the hope that the Vietnam women's team would return to the World Cup stage.
Period after the 2023 Women's World Cup
According to recorded information, after the 2023 Women's World Cup, Huỳnh Như and her teammates had a week of rest before regrouping to prepare for the next major tournaments.
