Put your trust in the "golden generation"!

(Baonghean) - Vietnamese football has produced at least 3 generations of talented players who have been honored by domestic fans as the “golden generation”. And now, the young stars of the HAGL Arsenal JMG Football Academy, SLNA Club as well as a number of other clubs are “producing” the 4th golden generation of Vietnamese football…

The first golden generation included the stars of the 80s of the last century, when Vietnamese football mainly competed with teams in the socialist bloc such as the Soviet Union, China, Hungary..., the prominent names of that period brought pride and emotion on the field to millions of hearts across the country such as: Cao Cuong, The Anh, Vuong Tien Dung...; The second golden generation left a strong mark on Vietnam in the period of international integration, in which, Vietnamese football just returned to the Sea Games arena after many years of absence. That was the period from 1991 to 1999, with stars: Hong Son, Van Sy Hung, Le Huynh Duc, Huu Thang, Tran Cong Minh, Nguyen Huu Dang... The third golden generation with the core of talented players from the SLNA training "furnace", this generation of players had a very impressive start when they brought the U16 Vietnam team to 4th place in Asia at the 2000 Finals. That was also the milestone marking a new step forward for Vietnamese football on the path to conquering the top of Southeast Asia, so that in the following Sea Games and AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team was always one of the candidates for the championship. The highest achievement of this third golden generation was also much better than the previous generations, when they won the right to play in the finals of the Sea Games and AFF Cup many times, including 1 time crowned Southeast Asian champion (in 2008), 1 time reaching the quarter-finals of the Asian football cup (in 2007). In particular, in 2003, the 1-0 victory over the Korean team (who had just won 4th place in the 2002 World Cup) in the 2004 Asian Cup qualifying round thanks to the goal scored by the prodigy Van Quyen shocked Asian public opinion. The names that still make fans flutter when mentioned are: Van Quyen, Nhu Thuat, Quoc Vuong, Duong Hong Son, Tan Tai, Minh Phuong, Cong Vinh...

Although they have not yet brought home prestigious Gold Medals in major international tournaments, these are generations of players who have brought pride and intense emotions to millions of hearts across the country, and at the same time brought the beautiful image of Vietnamese football to friends around the world, so it is completely deserved that the above 3 generations of players are honored by fans as the "golden generation".

When the third golden generation has passed the other side of the slope of form, Vietnamese football fell into a period of stagnation, for 5 consecutive years (2009 - 2013) without any significant achievements, the national team as well as the U23 team participating in regional tournaments could not pass the group stage, then in the past 2 years, the talented players of the HAGL Arsenal JMG Football Academy became the "savior". With a modern playing style, good techniques thanks to being trained systematically in the European football school, the U19 HAGL Arsenal JMG players not only made a strong impression and achieved good results in regional and international tournaments, but also inspired young players at other clubs across the country to shine, in which, many young talents of SLNA also had to follow their example and strive to assert themselves.

A play in the match U19 HAGL - U21 Sydney.

Through recent international youth football tournaments, the U19 players of HAGL JMG Academy as well as many U19, U21 players of SLNA and other clubs have shown that they are the new hope for the country's football. Even with what these young stars have shown, it can be affirmed that the 4th golden generation of Vietnamese football is forming. This generation includes: Cong Phuong, Dong Trieu, Xuan Truong, Van Toan, Van Son, Tuan Anh, Hong Duy, Thanh Hau of HAGL Arsenal JMG; are stars who grew up from SLNA such as: Ho Tuan Tai, Ho Phuc Tinh and the U21 seniors such as: Phi Son, Hoang Thinh, Manh Hung, Ho Khac Ngoc, Ho Sy Sam... and a number of young players from clubs across the country.

The difference between the 4th golden generation and the previous 3 generations is a more modern playing style, more confident playing and arguably better technique. This has been demonstrated through confrontations with strong teams from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Australia, China and even youth teams of famous European clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham, AS Roma... The fact that young Vietnamese players have defeated many top Southeast Asian opponents such as Thailand, Singapore and played on par with strong Asian teams such as Japan, China, Australia, Iran and European teams has opened up new prospects for Vietnamese football. I believe that in the near future, after accumulating more playing experience, our new golden generation will not only convincingly win the Southeast Asian championship, but also bring Vietnamese football to the continental and world level.

Hoang Hao