V. League’s most expensive player says wife fell for him at first sight

Goalkeeper Filip Nguyen said his wife Aneta Nguyen. Photo from Filip Nguyen’s Instagram

The couple, both half-Vietnamese and half-Czech, discussed their relationship on a Nov. 24 episode of a program produced by Hanoi Police Football Club, where Filip plays.

They first met each other in 2016 at a fitness center in Prague, where Aneta was a part-time worker and Filip was a client. The two were instantly attracted to each other as they realized how the other “had Vietnamese looks,” they said.

“I could see that she is more Vietnamese than Czech,” Filip, 31, said. “I thought it was interesting and maybe I should talk to her.”

“So I talked to her and she fell in love with me.”

The same thought was shared by Aneta.

“I can see Filip is half-Vietnamese [right away],” she said. “It was interesting for me because I am also half-Vietnamese.”

As the two exchanged conversations, they realized many more coincidences in their lives. For example, Filip was playing for a club in the central Czech town Vlasim, Aneta’s hometown. And Filip’s father and Aneta’s grandfather were neighbors in northern Hai Phong province before both families relocated abroad.

“We were a little bit afraid that if we were siblings or something like that,” the couple recalled when they found out their families’ connections.

Fortunately, that was not the case and the two started officially dating after a few months.

Aneta did not know Filip was a professional footballer during the first period of their romantic relationship. Though Filip did not hide his profession when Aneta asked, she simply thought he was referring to his hobby instead of his career.

The couple encountered their first challenge two months after starting dating: they had to maintain a distant relationship as Aneta relocated to London for work. They overcame the proximity as Filip visited Aneta once a month during his days off.

Filip then proposed to Aneta in 2019. The couple welcomed their first child and held their wedding ceremony in 2021.

As Filip joined the Hanoi Police Football Club in August this year, he brought Aneta and their kid to Vietnam shortly after. The whole family has settled and gotten familiar with life in Vietnam since.

It is estimated that his transfer value was around 700,000 euros (around $763,000), the highest transfer value in the division.

Born to a Vietnamese father and a Czech mother, Filip graduated from Sparta Prague’s youth football academy and played for the club before moving to other domestic clubs including Bydzov, Vlasim, Slova Liberec, and Slovacko.

He was voted the best keeper in the Czech First League in the 2018-19 season.

He was once called up for the Czech Republic national team during their preparation for their 2022 World Cup campaign, but did not get a chance to play, and so remains eligible to play for Vietnam.

During his contract signing ceremony with Hanoi Police Football Club on Jun. 30, he said his aims were to perform well and be called up for the Vietnamese national team, which may become reality soon as he is set to be granted Vietnamese citizenship on Dec. 5.