The story of "spider man" Nguyen Manh

(Baonghean) - Although making a mistake that led to the loss of the Vietnamese team in the first match of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014, Nguyen Manh was still trusted to be the main goalkeeper. One day after the match between the Vietnamese team and Laos, the reporter met Mr. Tran Nguyen Thu, Nguyen Manh's father, and learned many interesting stories about the growth of the goalkeeper nicknamed "spider-man".

As a physical education teacher at a secondary school in Do Luong district and having played for village and commune football teams participating in many grassroots competitions, it was none other than Mr. Tran Nguyen Thu who instilled his passion for football in Nguyen Manh. According to Mr. Thu, when he was a primary school student, Manh showed his talent in many different sports. Manh represented the school in the Phu Dong Sports Festival in sports such as volleyball and sepak takraw and brought home many medals for the school. Teaching physical education, his son has a talent for almost all sports, so Mr. Thu admitted that he was very excited and from the beginning, he directed Manh to pursue a career in football, because he thought this sport was easier to play and more popular.

Instead of criticizing, teammates all sympathized and shared with Nguyen Manh after his mistake in the match with the Indonesian team. Photo: internet

“At that time, I was the one who brought my son to Vinh for a trial at Song Lam “furnace”. During a trial period, the scouts, realizing his limited height, did not accept him and sympathized with the family. I had to convince the teachers for a long time before they let him stay for a further trial. To be honest, when practicing, Manh played as a striker so he could not develop much. Later, by chance, standing in the goal, Manh played well and showed himself. He left his mark in the new position so he was kept at Song Lam “furnace”…”, Mr. Thu said about Manh’s fate with the goalkeeper position. Until now, changing his playing position on the field is still considered the biggest turning point in Nguyen Manh’s career. Because of more than ten years of being attached to Song Lam “furnace” as a goalkeeper, Nguyen Manh has achieved a lot of success.

According to many people, Nguyen Manh is a quiet person, preferring to express himself through actions rather than words. However, the growth process of this goalkeeper also has stories of "a time of recklessness" that were only revealed for the first time through the conversation with Mr. Thu. The story is that this goalkeeper is very addicted to playing video games. During his time in high school, Manh was glued to the screen all day with virtual games on the internet. His studies were neglected, his performance declined, but at first, he did not listen to anyone. There were nights when Manh stayed up all night playing and was once reminded by the coaching staff. Feeling that this was not right, Mr. Tran Nguyen Thu went down to the place and told his son directly that if he did not "give up" video games, he would have to bring him home to manage, no more football. When Mr. Thu and his family were so determined, Manh was able to "cut off" his relationship with video games.

“Weaned” from video games, Nguyen Manh has since focused more on training. Talking about professionalism as well as maturity, many of Manh’s teammates said that this goalkeeper deserves a score of 10. Starting from the age of 18, considered adulthood, Nguyen Manh no longer receives “subsidies” from his family. Manh rarely calls to complain or lament to his relatives. When there are sadnesses, Manh tries to keep them in his heart and tries to overcome them. In addition, Nguyen Manh always acts like an adult, caring for his parents and relatives thoughtfully.

Be independent to grow up, be independent to grow up, in terms of awareness and responsibility for both the team and family. That is why, in addition to his expertise, Manh is also recognized for his flawless personality. In the match with Indonesia, Manh made a serious mistake but very few people criticized him, instead, there was sharing and encouragement for Nguyen Manh to overcome and continue to stand firm.

As for Manh himself, on the path to maturity, he also sees the above "accident" as a necessary thing to exchange for experience and confidence for the rest of his career.

Vinh Liem