Former SLNA and Vietnam Olympic defender at risk of having to say goodbye to his football career

Nguyen Van Manh shared: "I have been unemployed for almost a year now. Currently, I am working as a worker in Vung Tau city. Although my income is not high, I can help my wife to raise our children. Honestly, my wife does not have a stable job, so my family life is quite difficult."

Nguyen Van Manh (right) in SLNA shirt. Photo: FBNV

When talking about returning to competition, the defender born in 1993 said: "If I recover, I will continue to contact football teams to look for new opportunities. In case my illness does not completely recover, I will decide to retire and then switch to another job. I miss football so much, but what can I do?"

Nguyen Van Manh is a product ofSLNA training center, the same generation as Pham Manh Hung, Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Sy Nam, Ho Sy Sam... Notably, the player nicknamed Manh "quenh" was once in the Vietnamese Olympic team participating in the 17th Asiad, held in Korea in 2014.

Before falling into unemployment, Nguyen Van Manh played for Binh Dinh,SLNA(did not play in any match), Can Tho, Dong Nai and Long An. Last season, Manh "Quenh" was on the payroll of XSKT Can Tho. At the end of the 2019 National First Division, Nguyen Van Manh played a total of 17 matches and contributed 3 assists for his teammates to score.

Nguyen Van Manh (blue shirt) when he was playing for XSKT Can Tho. Photo: VPF

However, entering this year's season, Nguyen Van Manh has not been recruited by any team. In addition, the former SLNA defender has also struggled with hepatitis B. Recently,Nguyen Van ManhI have been treated in many places, but my condition has not improved much.

With such a situation, it is likely that the former SLNA defender will retire from football at the age of 27, the peak age of most professional players. Looking at Que Ngoc Hai, Pham Manh Hung, Nguyen Sy Nam... doing well on the football field, Nghe An football fans cannot help but feel sorry for Nguyen Van Manh.