| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1935-12-20)20 December 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Beirut, Lebanese Republic | ||
| Date of death | 8 February 2024(2024-02-08) (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Toulon, France | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1955–1958 | Enclos Saint-François | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1960 | Montpellier | 73 | (47) |
| 1960–1965 | Racing Paris | 122 | (61) |
| 1965–1968 | Toulon | 85 | (30) |
| 1968–1972 | La Valette | ||
| Total | 280 | (138) | |
| International career | |||
| 1961 | France | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Guy Van Sam (20 December 1935 – 8 February 2024) was a footballer who played as a striker for Montpellier, RC Paris, and Toulon. Born in Lebanon, he made three appearances for the France national team.
Early life
Van Sam was born in Beirut, Lebanon on 20 December 1935 to Tran Van Sam, born in Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia,[2] an ethnic Vietnamese French consul in Beirut,[3] and a Lebanese mother from the Mouawad family.[3][1] His father joined the Free French Forces, becoming Secretary General of their General Staff, and was the first person of Asian descent to be naturalized French.[3] Following Lebanon's independence in 1946, the family settled in France.[3]
Van Sam attended the Enclos Saint-François private school in Montpellier.[3] He has two brothers who also played football:[4] his brother, Richard, later became the head coach of the Tahiti national football team in 1980, and then in 1997.[5]
Career
Vam Sam scored 50 goals in 96 Division 1 matches with RC Paris (1960–1965), and 86 goals in 185 Division 2 matches with SO Montpellier (1958–1960) and SC Toulon (1965–1968).[6]
He played three games for the France national team in 1961, against Belgium (friendly), Spain (friendly), and Bulgaria (1962 FIFA World Cup qualification).[6] Van Sam was the first player of Vietnamese descent to play for the France national team.[2]
Death
Van Sam died in Toulon on 8 February 2024, at the age of 88.[6]
References
- ^ a b A., N. (20 March 1960). "Grâce à un Libanais (Indochinois), Montpellier redresse la tête" [Thanks to a Lebanese (Indochinese), Montpellier straightens its lead]. L'Orient (in French). p. 1.
- ^ a b "Guy Văn Sâm – cầu thủ Việt Nam duy nhất dự vòng loại World Cup trong màu áo tuyển Pháp". Tạp chí điện tử Nhân lực Nhân tài Việt (in Vietnamese). 1 July 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Cazal, Pierre (15 February 2024). "Guy Van Sam, une enfance libanaise". Chroniques bleues (in French). Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ thanhnien.vn (29 June 2022). "Guy Văn Sâm, cầu thủ Việt Nam độc nhất vào tuyển Pháp dự vòng loại World Cup". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ "Hiro'a - Football à Tahiti avec Richard Van Sam" (in French). Tahiti VOD. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Guy Van Sâm n'est plus". www.fff.fr. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
Bibliography
- Barreaud, Marc (1998). Dictionnaire des footballeurs étrangers du championnat professionnel français (1932-1997). L'Harmattan, Paris. ISBN 2-7384-6608-7.
External links
- Guy Van Sam at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Guy Van Sam at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)
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