The sad ending of Quoc Vuong

(Baonghean) -Once considered one of the top midfielders in regional football, a moment of thoughtlessness has caused Quoc Vuong's life and career to take a different turn. After serving his prison term, Vuong tried to start over. However, fate did not smile on him. Unable to change his fate, Vuong recently contacted Van Minh Tourism Company to return to work in the hope of earning some income to cover his living expenses.

After Van Quyen and Cong Vinh, Quoc Vuong is the name that attracts the most attention from Nghe An fans. At the peak of his career, Vuong was compared to Thonglao, the Thai midfielder with the most modern playing style in Southeast Asia. When everything was promising a bright future, because of the temptation of money, Vuong lost himself and was mentioned as a sinner of Vietnamese football.

That was the time of SEA Games 23, Quoc Vuong, as the leader of the U.23 Vietnam midfield, lured many other players such as Van Quyen, Quoc Anh, Hai Lam, Bat Hieu... to participate in the match-fixing case at the request of a domestic betting organization. The case was later exposed, the midfielder from Nghe An and his teammates had to stand in front of the court. Because he was the leader, Vuong was the one who had to receive the highest sentence and it was not until the National Day in 2008, receiving clemency from the State, that this midfielder was freed to start his life over.

On the day he was released from prison, Vuong was determined to start over and at that time, there were many teams ready to welcome him back. Thinking back, Vuong chose The Cong because of the sincerity that the team's leaders had shown him during his time in prison. Eagerly waiting for the day of his return, but unfortunately for Vuong, after only about 30 minutes on the field in the match against Military Zone 4 in V.League 2009, Vuong was injured and spent nearly a year in treatment.

Quoc Vuong (right) in The Cong shirt.

Recovering when The Cong was dissolved, from here Vuong’s career continued to experience many other changes. Returning to Xuan Thanh Ha Tinh for 5 billion VND, people thought that Vuong’s career would turn a new page… But “man proposes, God disposes”, even with a star-studded squad, Xuan Thanh Ha Tinh still failed, the team then moved its headquarters to Ho Chi Minh City.

The signing bonus was not paid in full, while the contract was still in trouble, Vuong was not eligible to go to another team. Later, after much struggle, even with the intervention of a lawyer, this midfielder was freed and transferred to Thanh Hoa from the beginning of the 2012 season. With the trust of coach Trieu Quang Ha and regular playing time, it was thought that the storm in his career was about to pass. But unexpectedly, by the end of the first half of the 2012 season, Thanh Hoa unilaterally terminated the contract with Vuong, claiming that he had violated discipline.

Vuong packed his bags and returned to Nghe An and joined amateur football teams, waiting for a chance to return to top-level football. However, because Thanh Hoa forced him to pay a contract compensation of more than 300 million VND if he wanted to join another team, Vuong could not turn it around. At this time, he had just gotten married and had a child, so his finances were facing many difficulties.

Being bored with the "amateur" playground, Vuong decided to take his application and knock on the door of Van Minh Tourism Company. In addition to his work at the company, in the afternoons, Vuong had to participate in training at Van Minh FC Club, where the top "amateur" stars of Nghe An gathered.

When bad luck followed, Vuong had to accept it because he could not sit and wait for luck to smile. At only 29 years old, his peak career had ended. For many people who loved Vuong, it was a sad ending, but in his current situation, this midfielder had no other choice. What a pity for a talent to fade away so soon!

Lam Vu