Chan Vathanaka
 Chan Vathanaka received his Golden Boot from Cambodian League with 37 goals (2015). | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chan Vathanaka | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Kampot, Cambodia | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder / Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Boeung Ket Angkor | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010 | Preah Khan Reach SvayRieng | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2011–2012 | Preah Khan Reach SvayRieng | 17 | (10) |
| 2012– | Boeung Ket Angkor | 60 | (55) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011 | Cambodia U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2012– | Cambodia U23 | 25 | (15) |
| 2013– | Cambodia | 14 | (4) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 February 2016. | |||
Chan Vathanaka (Khmer: ចាន់ វឌ្ឍនាកា; born 23 January 1994) is a Cambodian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Boeung Ket Angkor and the Cambodia national team as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
2015 season
On 1 August 2015 Vathanaka scored all six goals in a 6-0 win over Asia Europe United. Impressively this was not even his best accomplishment in a 12-2 over Kirivong Sok Sen Chey on 11 July 2015 Vathanaka scored eight goals, the highest tally for a Cambodian-born player in the league as well as giving him 16 goals in the first 8 games of the 2015 season.[1]
In the semifinals of the 2015 Mekong Club Championship Vathanaka scored all three goals in a 3-2 win over Becamex Bình Dương, putting Boeung Ket Angkor in the final.[2] Although Ket Angkor lost in the final to Buriram United, Vathanaka finished the tournament as the highest goalscorer with 5 goals and was also named best player.
Vathanaka finished the 2015 league season with 35 goals, a total of 55 goals in all competitions include national and club, the most of any Southeast Asian player.[3]
2016 season
In his first start of the 2016 season Vathanaka scored a hat-trick in under 5 minutes as Boeung Ket Angkor beat CMAC FC 6-0.[4]
International career
He made his senior international debut on 22 March 2013 in a 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification match against Turkmenistan.[5]
Vathanaka played an important part in Cambodia's campaign in the 2018 World Cup qualification, in the first qualifying game he came off the bench to score two goals, the second a thunderous free-kick, in a 3-0 home win over Macau.[6]
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | October 8, 2014 | Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei |  Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 2–0 | Exhibition game |
| 2. | 2–0 | |||||
| 3. | March 12, 2015 | Army Stadium, Phnom Penh |  Macau | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) |
| 4. | 2–0 |
Awards
- 2012 Cambodia best young player of the year
- 2013 Hun Sen Cup Golden Boot
- 2014 Cambodian League Most Valuable Player
- 2015 Cambodian League Most Valuable Player
- 2015 Cambodian League Golden Boot
- 2015 Mekong Club Championship: Most Valuable Player
Personal life
Vathanaka is in a relationship with Cambodian swimmer an Olympic athlete Hem Thon Vitiny. The two meet each other at a festavile when they were both 16 and have been together since then.[7] Since October 2015 Vathanaka has celebrated goals by kissing a tattoo on his right arm. The tattoo is a memorial to his parents and family.[8] Vathanaka also has a passion for karaoke and music, while he was injured in September 2015 he spent 7 hours singing and recording songs with Cambodian singer Meas Soksophea.[3]
In January 2016 Vathanaka became a goodwill ambassador for the cellphone company SEATEL.[9]
References
- ↑ Noveanto, Eric (29 July 2015). "Vathanaka’s six-goal Boeung Ket Angkor marvel in Cambodian league". Football Channel Asia. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ↑ Noveanto, Eric (7 December 2015). "Vathanaka’s hat-trick hands Boeung Ket 3-2 win over Binh Duong". Football Channel Asia. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- 1 2 Tien, Edward (2 November 2015). "Five facts about Cambodia’s talisman Chan Vathanaka". Football Channel Asia. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ Vorajee, Ismail (6 March 2016). "Vathanaka Nets Three in CMAC Mauling". Khmer Times. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ "AFC CHALLENGE CUP 2014". the-afc.com. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ↑ H S Manjunath and Sreng Meng Srun (13 March 2015). "Cambodia storms past Macau 3-0 in World Cup qualifier". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "His Girlfriend Chan Vathanaka tell about their sweet love story". Luly 9. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ Pu Sam (18 January 2016). "Why does Vathanka kissing the hand behind after goal". Sabay News (in Khmer). Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ Mony Phearum (11 January 2016). "Chan Vathanaka to become an official goodwill ambassador for SEATEL". Sabay News (in Khmer). Retrieved 17 March 2016.