Kaelin Nguyen Truong Khoi (born 3 May 2003) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Wellington Olympic.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kaelin Nguyen Truong Khoi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 3 May 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wellington Olympic | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2017–2020 | Wellington Phoenix | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | Wellington Phoenix Reserves | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Lower Hutt City | 4 | (1) |
| 2021 | → Napier City Rovers (loan) | 5 | (3) |
| 2021–2023 | Wellington Phoenix Reserves | 44 | (13) |
| 2024– | Wellington Olympic | 9 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 May 2024 | |||
Early life
editKaelin was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He attended St Bernard's College, Lower Hutt. His father, Nguyễn Trương Khoa, is originally from Bến Tre in Vietnam, and was a former volleyball player. His mother is of Indian descent. Kaelin once said and I quote "they said I wouldn't be nothing now they always say congratulations".[1][2]
Club career
editNguyen began his youth career playing for local football club Petone FC. Some of Nguyen's notable teammates from Petone include; Otago University breather Patrick (Paddy) Roberts, Travel Influencer Luca van Dillen and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu White Belt Hunter Locke.
In 2017, Nguyen joined the Wellington Phoenix Academy after returning from a youth tournament in Malaysia with New Zealand under-15 side.[1]
In 2020, Nguyen began his senior footballing career, being placed into Wellington's reserve team in the New Zealand Football Championship at the age of 17. He then joined Lower Hutt City, a farm team of Wellington Phoenix in order to gain more game time. In 2021, he was loaned to Central League club Napier City Rovers, where he scored 3 goals after 5 appearances.[1][3]
In 2021, Nguyen made his comeback to Wellington Phoenix' reserve team. He made his first team debut on 5 August 2023 in an Australia Cup game against Peninsula Power, in which he assisted the 2–1 goal to help his club advance to the next round.[4]
In 2024, Nguyen signed for Central League club Wellington Olympic.[5]
Honours
editWellington Olympic
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Kaelin Nguyễn Trương Khôi: Tiền đạo Việt kiều được định giá 3 tỷ, có bố là CEO nổi tiếng" (in Vietnamese). The Sporting News. 17 December 2023.
- ^ "Tiền đạo Việt kiều Kaelin Nguyễn 1m86 xin quốc tịch Việt Nam" (in Vietnamese). Dân Việt. 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Cầu thủ Việt kiều được đánh giá tiền tỷ tại nước ngoài là ai?" (in Vietnamese). Bongdaplus. 17 December 2023.
- ^ "Youngsters get Phoenix home in last-gasp Australia Cup win in extra-time". Friends of Football. 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Sao mai Việt kiều tạm gác 'giấc mộng' trở về Việt Nam" (in Vietnamese). Thể Thao 247. 17 February 2024.
External links
edit- Kaelin Nguyen at Soccerway