Football story: Hong Viet and the goal of a lifetime.

Having gone through a long period of hardship due to a complicated personal life, Nguyen Hong Viet, a former young football talent from Nghe An province, marked his return after scoring a goal against QNK.QN in the recent round. Viet said that goal was "the goal of a lifetime."

Hong Viet scored a goal in SLNA's victory over QNK.QN - Photo: Minh Tuan

UNCERTAIN RED VIETNAM

Despite his fame in youth tournaments, Hong Viet's career was far from smooth. Arrested for drug possession at the age of 19, Hong Viet struggled and eventually had his contract with SLNA terminated prematurely. Then, at the end of 2012, upon returning to SLNA, he was seriously injured in a knife attack during an outing. After a long period of treatment and rehabilitation, Hong Viet failed to make a significant impact on the pitch in the 2013 season.

At the end of 2013, while the former stars ofSLNAAnd while Hồng Việt's close friends like Trọng Hoàng, Văn Bình, and Văn Hoàn had their contracts with the Nghệ An team expire and were being sought after by many clubs with multi-billion dong signing bonuses, Hồng Việt was still desperately trying to recapture his former glory. Once, over a cup of coffee, when the topic of transfers came up, while Văn Hoàn, Văn Bình, and Trọng Hoàng scratched their heads, unsure whether they should join B.BD with signing bonuses of 5-7 billion dong/3-year contract each, Hồng Việt quietly turned away.

It's not hard to understand Viet's silence, simply because while his friends were at the peak of their careers and being courted by teams, he himself was nowhere near achieving anything. In October 2013, when Van Binh, Van Hoan, and Trong Hoang left Vinh to join B.BD, Hong Viet took his boots and went to play amateur football to ease his sadness.

"I only have one way out."

Despite playing football for many years, Hong Viet's earnings were meager, forcing his mother to struggle to make ends meet with a stall at Vinh market. Day after day, Hong Viet would drive his son from their house on Minh Khai Street (Vinh City) to school, then go play amateur football to maintain his fitness and earn extra income to support his son. Towards the end of 2013, Hong Viet's life was difficult as he was unsure whether SLNA would renew his contract.

Feeling deeply sympathetic to Hong Viet's plight, after a trip to Europe, the coach...Nguyen Huu ThangHe called the midfielder in for a talk. At that meeting, Viet didn't dare ask for a signing bonus; instead, he only hoped to receive a monthly salary. Understanding the difficulties Viet was facing, Mr. Thang assured the midfielder: "Just come back, SLNA will extend your contract." Then, a one-year contract between SLNA and Hong Viet was signed. Notably, the Nghe An team gave him nearly 300 million VND as a signing bonus to boost his morale.

Determined not to let down coach Huu Thang, Hong Viet trained diligently, and in the match against QNK.QN, when brought on at the start of the second half, he scored a goal, contributing to the 6-1 victory for the Nghe An team. Witnessing his close friend's goal, defender Van Hoan (B.BD) sent his congratulations to Hong Viet: "When you have the chance, you score a goal; class speaks for itself."

He had indeed suppressed his emotions for quite some time, so when he tore through the net...QNK.QNThe midfielder ripped off his shirt to celebrate, even though he knew that action would result in a yellow card. Viet had waited for this moment for so long, and like a bird that had been away for so long finally singing, the feeling of happiness was bound to overflow. That goal of a lifetime was a ray of hope for Viet, opening a "new chapter" in his career after so many storms he had endured.

NGUYEN HONG VIET
Year of birth:1989, in Nghe An
High:1.77m tall, weighs 68kg
Location:Midfielder
2006-2007:Playing for the U19 and U20 national teams.
2007-2009:SLNA
2012-present:SLNA
Achievements
2006:Best player of the 2006 National U19 Championship

According to Bongdaplus