Yokohama's farewell to Cong Phuong

Harsh reality

"Cong Phuong is loved by everyone thanks to his kind personality. His teammates will feel sad because they will no longer be able to drink the delicious cups of coffee he made in the locker room. Cong Phuong is a strong player in front of goal and has great technique. Wish Cong Phuong luck in the next journey." That was the farewell message sent by Yokohama FC to Cong Phuong when this player decided to leave the team after nearly 2 seasons with the team.

The farewell message also included a caption on the photo of Yokohama FC: "Welcome to Cafe Cong Phuong"

In some ways, Yokohama FC's actions can be simply understood as joking, teasing, or "troll" - humorously aboutCong Phuongnot many opportunities to play and contribute directly in the match.

However, this humor can be misinterpreted as sarcasm, "sarcasm" (or less seriously, a misunderstanding) and will be hurtful when placed in the context of a foreign player's efforts to show his talent in another country.

WithVietnamese fans, this may give rise to a feeling of disrespect, simply because Cong Phuong is one of Vietnam's top football talents in the J. League.

It is unclear whether Yokohama's intention was joking or sarcastic, but many teammates also posted similar pictures and captions about Cong Phuong on their personal pages. Notably, even in the final match against Ventforet Kofu, Yokohama still did not register Cong Phuong on the player list.

But, perhaps the most heartbreaking thing is not there, but the fact that many Vietnamese players when playing abroad often have difficulty asserting their abilities.

Of course, this comes from many reasons: differences in physique, technique, football culture, and even a lack of confidence when competing in a harsh environment. Cong Phuong, as well as many other players before him such as Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, Quang Hai… all encountered similar situations.

Self-esteem to be determined to rise up

However, instead of being too pessimistic or feeling inferior, we need to look at the problem in an open and realistic way. The fact that Vietnamese playersgo abroad, although he has not achieved the expected success. Cong Phuong is a star in Vietnam, but in Japan he is just like a… “janitor”.

But these are still important steps. They carry with them the desire to grow and learn, something that not everyone dares to do.

Failure, if any, is also a valuable lesson for Vietnamese football to become more mature. Each stumble will create an opportunity to improve, to review weaknesses and from there draw a more suitable strategy for the future that awaits ahead.

Cong Phuong’s story also reflects the reality not only in football, but also in many other fields. Vietnamese people when going abroad do not always achieve the success they expected. But instead of just looking at failure, we need to have a more optimistic view, encouraging the efforts and challenges of individuals. A failure should not discourage us, but be the motivation to strive even harder.

Lessons from China

Remember the story of the Chinese. They first participated in the Olympics in 1952, but it was not until 1984 that they won their first Olympic medal, won by Xu Haifeng in shooting.

During those years of poverty, the Chinese were ridiculed and humiliated by Europeans and Americans. Therefore, Xu Haifeng's victory not only brought China its first Gold Medal but also had a special meaning, marking an important turning point in their country's sports history. After that, China has continuously strived to rise up and has surpassed the level of a great power to become one of the two sports superpowers in the world, second only to the United States.

The story of China from the early days of participating in the Olympics is a strong testament to the spirit of overcoming failure: using pride to rise up, swallowing humiliation to move forward. This journey is not only a story about sports, but also a great lesson about will and perseverance in all fields.

China has used failure as motivation, nurtured determination and developed a long-term plan. They not only rely on individual potential, but also build a systematic and scientific system to train athletes. China realizes that sports are not just the strength of an individual or a team, but the overall strength of a national sports management system. It is a combination of financial investment, modern facilities, and especially strategic training methods.

Vietnam SportsThere are still many difficulties and limitations. What is necessary is that we must have a correct strategy, strong investment, and especially the spirit of constantly striving and learning. We should not be afraid of failure, but need to turn those failures into motivation. Vietnamese sports can completely rise and become the pride of the country if we are steadfast and know how to build a solid foundation from the roots./.