What opportunities are there for talented midfielder from Nghe An, Tran Phi Son?
(Baonghean.vn) - Among the Nghe An players leaving Vinh Stadium, Tran Phi Son is the name that Vinh Stadium audiences mention the most. But it seems that bad luck has been following this "Nghe An Ronaldo" for the past 2 years, hopefully this year things will be different.
Every season, Vinh Stadium has to witness the children of Nghe An leaving to find a way to make a living in new teams. However, Phi Son is one of the few players who had a sweet farewell. The 2017 National Cup championship of the yellow team is a worthy reward for Phi Son's contributions and dedication to SLNA.
Bad luck follows
As a player who became famous early, in his first season playing for SLNA in V.League 2013, Phi Son played 15 times and quickly asserted himself. That year, at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar, midfielder Phi Son was given the opportunity to wear the U23 Vietnam shirt, the U23 Vietnam tournament stopped early after the group stage. 2 years later, despite winning the bronze medal at the 2015 SEA Games, at the 2016 AFF Cup, the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers or the 2018 AFF Cup, despite his high performance, Phi Son never had a chance to catch the attention of the coaches.
Coming to Thong Nhat Stadium, at the age of 25 full of vitality, Nghe An fans hoped to see “Nghe An Ronaldo” turn his “peanut-roasting” feet in the national team. But in the end, in V.League 2018, Phi Son scored 6 goals, and had 9 assists (3rd most in V.League) simply “rescuing” the Thong Nhat Stadium team from relegation.
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| Phi Son's trademark "peanut-roasting" footwork when dribbling the ball. Photo: FBNV. |
Recently, Chairman Huu Thang confirmed that Ho Chi Minh City will compete in all four competitions in the 2020 season. In addition to the two domestic competitions, V.League 2020 and the National Cup, Coach Chung Hae-soung's team will represent Vietnam in the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying round. If they fail to qualify for the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage, Phi Son and his teammates will compete in the 2020 AFC Cup with Quang Ninh.
At the first ASEAN Club Championship, Ho Chi Minh City and 11 clubs that meet AFC criteria will compete for a prize of up to 500,000 USD. Of which, Vietnam (the other team is likely to be Hanoi FC), Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand will have 2 representatives. Myanmar and Singapore each have 1 representative. The remaining 2 spots will belong to Brunei, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Timor Leste through a play-off round.
Turn challenges into opportunities
Thus, compared to last season, the opportunity for the 27-year-old Nghe An man to show off his talent will be much wider. The AFC Champions League 2020 and the ASEAN Club Championship are two tournaments that bring together many strong regional and continental clubs. This is an opportunity for the “Nghe An Ronaldo” to prove his talent and catch the eye of Mr. Park Hang-seo and the National Team Coaching Board.
For now, Phi Son must prove his ability on the right wing because in Ho Chi Minh City there are currently many players who can play well in this position. In addition to his compatriot Quang Nam who has just returned from injury, new recruits such as midfielder Vo Huy Toan, striker Nguyen Xuan Nam, the top scorer of the First Division, and star Nguyen Cong Phuong, have all played right midfield.
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| Compared to last season, the opportunity for the 27-year-old Nghe An boy to show off his talent will be much wider. Photo: FBNV. |
Getting into the National Team at this time is extremely difficult, but under the guidance of Korean coach Chung Hae-soung, with Phi Son's tireless efforts, if there is a little more luck, anything can happen. Turn challenges into opportunities, Phi Son - "we are always with you"!
