Danny van Bakel

Nguyễn van Bakel (born Danny van Bakel on 8 December 1983) is a retired Dutch-born Vietnamese footballer who played as a defender. He is called by the fans as Dutch David Beckham.

Early Years

Van Bakel kicked off his career with Helmond Sport in 2002 playing in Eerste Divisie. He made 19 appearances for the club before joining Dijkse Boys in 2005. In 2008, he switched club and country signing for amateur club Cappellen in Belgium. He played there for one year before he returned to Dijkse Boys. After the club was expelled from the league in November 2010, he went on to play forLommel United, in theBelgian Second Division.

Vietnam

In 2011, Van Bakel signed a year and half contract with Vietnamese club Bình Dương though he first refused the offer. He played 2 seasons with the club making 28 appearances before joining Đồng Nai in 2013. The following year he was recruited by Thanh Hóa. In Thanh Hóa, he has become a fan favourite and is known as Dutch David Beckham.

Van Bakel is married to DJ Myno whose real name is Nguyễn Thị Ngọc My. On 18 September 2014, she gave birth to a baby boy whom they have named David van Bakel. In October 2015 Van Bakel expressed his desire to acquire Vietnamese citizenship and to represent the Vietnamese team internationally. On early January 2016, he was granted Vietnamese citizenship and adopted the name, Nguyễn van Bakel.