Vietnam’s 2013 Asian freestyle football champion Do Kim Phuc made his debut at LaLiga, Spain’s top men’s professional football league, performing a half-time show during the encounter between Deportivo Alaves and Atletico Madrid last weekend.

Phuc, who commands a sizable following among fans on social media, including TikTok, became the first Vietnamese freestyle footballer to showcase his skills at an official LaLiga match. 

The performance was organized by LaLiga and Deportivo Alaves, which invited a total of 16 TikTok content creators from Asia-Pacific countries to attend Sunday’s game at Alaves’s Mendizorrotza Stadium.

Phuc was the sole content creator among them to deliver a performance.

Wearing an áo bà ba, a traditional garment of people in southern Vietnam, a nón lá, orVietnamese conical hat, and the Vietnamese national flag, Phuc seamlessly incorporated these elements into his artistic football demonstration. 

To prepare for his gig, Phuc had a session to familiarize himself with the field and rehearse the music a day before, according to The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports and Culture) newspaper. 

Initially, he encountered concerns as the field was affected by strong winds and cold weather, causing his chosen conical hat prop to blow away. 

To counter this, the Vietnamese athlete opted for slower movements and carefully calculated the wind direction each time he performed skills involving the hat.

On match day, Phuc was seated in a prominent spot in the stands during the first half.

In the 40th minute, he was invited down to the tunnel to prepare for his field entrance. 

As the first half concluded, wearing the Vietnamese national flag, Phuc entered the stadium to the cheers of the fans.

“The moment I stepped into Mendizorrotza Stadium gave me goosebumps,” Phuc told The Thao & Van Hoa. 

“I had been eagerly anticipating this moment for a long time. 

“Holding our national flag and performing in Spain filled me with immense pride. 

“Witnessing thousands of spectators applauding, I silently expressed gratitude that my dream, from the very first day I embarked on my freestyle football journey, had finally come true.”

During his performance, Phuc embodied a farmer adorned with a conical hat, accompanied by the song 'Tien Len Viet Nam Oi!' (Go, Vietnam!) by Vietnamese singer Son Tung M-TP. 

He introduced a signature move dubbed ‘Around Vietnam,’ a challenging maneuver that requires the performer to maintain balance while maneuvering the ball around the hat.

The spectators at the stadium reacted with surprise and enthusiasm to the half-time performance by the Vietnamese footballer.

After his performance, Phuc generously gifted another conical hat adorned with images of the Vietnamese and Spanish national flags, along with the logo of Deportivo Alaves, to a young fan at the stadium. 

As Phuc returned to the tunnel, he seized the opportunity to greet and shake hands with his beloved football idol, Antoine Griezmann, who is playing for Atletico Madrid.

In Sunday’s match, Deportivo Alaves, enjoying home field advantage, emerged victorious over Atletico Madrid with a score of 2-0. 

Carlos Benavidez and Luis Rioja secured the goals in the 15th and 90+2 minutes, respectively.

After the game, in addition to praising Phuc’s performance, Deportivo Alaves fans also expressed gratitude to him for seemingly bringing luck to the team, The Thao & Van Hoa reported.

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