'Vietnamese Messi' makes a perfect storm in the French second division long before his debut

We live in the 21st century with all the inevitable influences of social media and what they present in modern-day life.

Football players are much more than sportsmen and role models, with billions of followers. Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, just to name a few. But you've never heard of Nguyen Quang Hai, although his popularity is also much more than solid.

And his nickname 'Vietnamese Messi' tells you how much they adore him in Asia.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder, who was previously playing for Hanoi FC, has ten goals in 44 caps for his country and was in the 2019 Asian Cup team of the tournament. And, by the way, has 2.5 million followers on Facebook.

On Wednesday afternoon, he signed a two-year deal with the French second-tier side Pau, which has become a piece of news for many, not just footballing reasons.

According to football writer Wael Jabir, the French club is already reaping the rewards of the signing, having seen their Facebook following more than double in the space of just four hours.

He was reportedly free of his contract with Hanoi at the end of the season and will be formally presented to the press along with the club's other signings on Thursday afternoon.