Overseas Vietnamese player Martin Lo suddenly retires

This surprising information was shared by Martin Lo on his personal page on the morning of August 2.

"This is a personal decision for myself. My life goals and values are no longer consistent with the path that football is taking me," Martin Lo shared.

He continued: “For 21 years, football has given me a place to express myself in a way that words cannot. As an introverted Asian boy, growing up in an environment where Asians were often overlooked and underrepresented in sport , football gave me a voice when I had no voice.

Football will always be a part of Martin Lo's life but it will no longer be my entire identity. Martin Lo leaves the pitch not with regret, but with love and gratitude for the art that I once believed in."

Martin Lo was born in 1996 in Australia, is the son of an overseas Vietnamese family and has Vietnamese nationality. He returned to Vietnam in 2019, playing for Pho Hien Club (now PVF-CAND) in the First Division. Here, Martin affirmed his ability, scoring 4 goals in 20 matches (although playing as a central midfielder) to help the team win a ticket to the play-off for promotion to V-League (losing to Thanh Hoa ).

Also in that year, Martin Lo was called up by coach Park Hang Seo to join the U23 Vietnam team for friendly matches with Myanmar and Hong Kong in preparation for the 30th SEA Games. Since then, Martin has not been present at the national team level.

Since 2020, Martin Lo has moved to Hai Phong and continued to prove his ability under the strictness of two coaches Pham Anh Tuan and Chu Dinh Nghiem. In nearly 5 years playing for the port city team, Martin has scored 2 goals and assisted 3 times in 72 matches in all competitions including V-League, National Cup and AFC Cup.

In his last season before retiring, Martin also played outstandingly for PVF-CAND, making a certain contribution to the team's promotion race (top 3 in the 2024 - 2025 First Division).

Martin Lo’s decision to end his professional career surprised and saddened many people, because his professional skills were not bad at all. He retired at a time when Vietnamese football was welcoming overseas Vietnamese players.

Leaving the football field, Martin Lo will focus on the beverage, bar and fashion business projects he previously pursued.