Who is the 18-year-old Vietnamese diaspora player who scored 11 goals in Europe and was called up to the Vietnam youth national team?

Vietnamese diaspora player Antonio Moric drew attention when he was named in the Vietnam U19 national team's call-up list.

Antonio Moric is a notable new face in the Vietnam U19 national team's call-up list at the beginning of 2026. This player was born on June 11, 2008 in Hanoi, with a Vietnamese mother and a Croatian father.

Moric stands at 1.81m tall and is considered suitable for the modern attacking player model. He can play in various positions such as central midfielder, winger, left or right forward, and even as a center forward when needed.

Currently, Moric plays for NK Trnje Club, a team founded in 1924 and competing in the Croatian Second League, equivalent to the third tier in the country's football system. In the 2025/2026 season, after 18 rounds, NK Trnje ranks 13th out of 16 teams. Moric has had opportunities to play for the first team and has appeared in some matches in the Second League as well as regional cup competitions.

In the 2025/26 season, Moric played a total of 16 matches, starting 8 times and being substituted in 8 times, scoring 11 goals, and receiving 1 yellow card across competitions. In the Druga NL Centar Juniori 2025/2026 competition, he played 1 match, started once, scored 5 goals, and received no disciplinary cards.

In the Druga Nogometna Liga – Juniori A competition, Moric played 10 matches, starting 4 times and coming off the bench 6 times, scoring 4 goals and receiving 1 yellow card. In the ZNS Cup, Moric played 2 matches, both as a starter, scoring 2 goals. In the ZNS Cup – SENIORI, Moric played 1 match as a starter but did not score. Additionally, in the SuperSport Druga Nogometna Liga (Croatian Second League), Moric played 2 matches from the bench and did not score.

On March 13, 2026, the Vietnam Football Federation announced a list of 31 U19 players to train from March 17 to 29 at the Hanoi Youth Football Training Center under the guidance of coach Yutaka Ikeuchi. This is Moric's first call-up to the Vietnam U19 team.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U19 national team will assemble and train from March 17 to 29 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. To maximize efficiency in screening and evaluating the squad, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi will not limit personnel to the initial list of 31 players. After about a week of training, the coaching staff will conduct screening, expected to reduce the squad by 10 to 15 players, while also calling up approximately 10 additional players outside the initial list.

This plan aims to create positive competition within the entire team and also provides the coaching staff with additional basis for comprehensively evaluating the squad, thereby selecting the most suitable candidates for the Vietnam U19 team as they prepare for important upcoming tournaments.