KUALA LUMPUR: England striker Kyle Hudlin, the world’s tallest professional footballer, marked his debut in Vietnam with two goals but couldn’t stop his side losing the Vietnamese Super Cup.
Hudlin, 25, who stands an incredible 2.06m, joined Thep Xanh Nam Dinh last month and was thrown on as a second-half substitute against CAHN on Saturday.
The former Huddersfield forward levelled the match with a towering header on 54 minutes before keeping his cool from the penalty spot in the 15th minute of stoppage time.
But it wasn’t enough as Nam Dinh were beaten 3-2.
The Birmingham-born target man began his career with Castle Vale Town before earning a big break at Solihull Moors in 2020.
Two years later he moved to Huddersfield, who sent him out on loan to AFC Wimbledon, Burton Albion and Newport County before his switch to Asia.
Hudlin’s rise to the professional ranks has been anything but easy.
In a 2022 interview with SunSport, he revealed how early interest from clubs such as West Bromwich Albion fizzled out because both parents worked and couldn’t take him to training.
Instead, he cut his teeth in men’s football in local leagues from the age of 16, honing his physical game through street football with his uncles.
His height, now his biggest weapon, once held him back.
“Coaches thought I could only do one thing,” he said.
“I was always put at centre-back just because I was tall. But from young I played with the ball at my feet, doing skills. I was never trained as a ‘big man’ and never had academy coaching.
“I always played with smaller, technical players, and you have to have skill too.
“I watched Ronaldinho, Robinho, Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo — his heading ability is like that of a tall player.’
When finally trusted to lead the line at 17, Hudlin began looking up to strikers such as Peter Crouch, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham.
“You’ll go far in football if you build your own identity,’ he added. ‘I want young players to look at me and want to be like Kyle Hudlin.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
