Searching for the new captain's armband and symbol of SLNA.

Monument to the Past

In the past, when talking about football in Nghe An province, people often mentioned center-back Huu Thang as the orchestrator, the leader both on the field and in the locker room of SLNA. Huu Thang possessed the necessary qualities of a leader: good professional skills, a generous and chivalrous lifestyle, enthusiasm for the game, and unquestionable loyalty to the team. Therefore, Nghe An fans considered Huu Thang a symbol of the team; mentioning Huu Thang brought to mind SLNA, and vice versa.

Nguyen Huu Thang remains a legend of Nghe An football. Photo: Duc Anh

It seemed as though Huy Hoang would be the "successor" to the Nghe An team, because when it came to class and loyalty, the former SLNA captain had plenty of it. Unfortunately, off-field troubles at the end of his life tarnished Huy Hoang's image significantly. Since then, SLNA has only had captains purely on the field, and no player has been worthy of becoming a new symbol for the Nghe An team.

Trong Hoang is the successor to the SLNA captaincy. Quite neat and gentle, his voice lacks the necessary authority of a leader in a team with many sharp-witted players like SLNA. Even now, Trong Hoang still plays tenaciously and aggressively, but becoming a true team leader remains a challenge.

When Trong Hoang left, goalkeeper Nguyen Manh was appointed captain of SLNA. Like Trong Hoang, goalkeeper Nguyen Manh is also a national team player, but upon returning to Vinh Stadium, the Nghe An goalkeeper only fulfilled his individual role. When SLNA faced difficulties, the audience at Vinh Stadium rarely saw Nguyen Manh directing his teammates, simply because his personality didn't suit that role.

SLNA is not lacking in talent; after Huy Hoang, the team from Vinh has seen the emergence of Que Ngoc Hai, Phi Son, and more recently, Van Duc and Xuan Manh. However, due to financial reasons, Phi Son and Ngoc Hai left Vinh Stadium early, before they could be included in the team's "plan" to become legends of Nghe An province.

Excited to see Van Khanh perform.

At 25 years old, Van Khanh was appointed captain of SLNA after a successful performance in the 2019 V.League season. Playing alongside center-back Damir Memović resulted in Van Khanh having his best season since joining the SLNA first team. As a center-back who tends to play aggressively, preferring to rush out to tackle rather than cover for his teammates, his coordination with Damir Memović last season was quite good, resulting in virtually no missteps. After the departure of several key players, Van Khanh was the most likely candidate for coach Quang Truong to entrust with the captaincy.

Hoang Van Khanh is currently a key player for SLNA. (Photo: Archival image)

Conversely, if Van Khanh, in his role as captain, makes the same individual mistakes as before, it will do more harm than good. In a few pre-season test matches, the impact of the new captain, Van Khanh, has been too weak. Many believe that the SLNA coaching staff needs to choose a central defender with good defensive capabilities to maximize Van Khanh's strengths.

Create a new logo.

Currently, SLNA has two national team players, Van Duc and Xuan Manh. These are players with healthy lifestyles, stable professional abilities, and quite enthusiastic fighting spirit. If the club's leadership can persuade them to commit to SLNA long-term, it won't be long before SLNA has a new icon.

If the club's leadership can persuade Van Duc and Xuan Manh to commit to a long-term future with SLNA, it's highly likely that SLNA will soon have a new icon. (Photo: Archival image)