Dreams come true

(Baonghean) - In the conversation with Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, mother of soccer player Cong Phuong, there was a detail that we will always remember. Mrs. Hoa said that when Cong Phuong's older brother, Nguyen Cong Khoa, was still alive, the two brothers often played soccer together.

“I often tease them as “vandals” because every day, when they practice soccer, they break this and that. Every time that happens, they encourage me, saying, “Don’t worry, Mom. When you become a Song Lam player, I’ll invite you to Vinh Stadium to watch and I’ll compensate you many times for the broken things…”

His elder brother Nguyen Cong Khoa later drowned and died, Cong Phuong also could not fulfill his dream of joining Song Lam. This afternoon (April 12), Cong Phuong's dream will come true when he returns for the first time to play at Vinh Stadium and his mother, Nguyen Thi Hoa, will be there to cheer him on.

Cong Phuong and mother.

Sad story of the past

When Cong Phuong became the brightest star of HA.GL, many people wondered why Cong Phuong was not selected to join Song Lam. Looking back in the past, we were able to access and have quite interesting information about Cong Phuong's story 8 years ago.

At that time, as usual, after the 2007 Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, the Organizing Committee selected the most impressive players of the tournament and introduced them to the Song Lam "furnace". From there, depending on the needs of the family, if they wanted their children to join the Song Lam "furnace", they could contact them for a selection test. The testing process to select the 20 best players to join the Song Lam "furnace" took place over a month.

When, due to the large number of players, SLNA had to divide the locations for training and selection. Cong Phuong and some players from the mountainous districts of Nghe An were arranged to gather at the area of ​​the Vietnam-Korea College (borrowed by SLNA). After more than a month with many professional and physical tests, the Song Lam "furnace" sent the players back to their families without directly announcing the results. Later, if anyone received a notice of admission from SLNA, they would complete the procedures to join, but if anyone did not receive a notice, it meant they were eliminated.

At the same time as Cong Phuong, there were two other very promising players in SLNA at that time, Manh Hung and Ngoc Hai. According to the reporter's investigation, Cong Phuong took the exam at the same location as Manh Hung at the Vietnam-Korea College. Ngoc Hai took the exam at the SLNA club headquarters. After more than a month, those who passed the exam were gathered and officially accepted by the Song Lam "furnace". Of these three players, Ngoc Hai and Manh Hung were accepted because they had better height and physical strength. Cong Phuong was eliminated because he did not meet the physical criteria.

Feelings of the day of return

Surrounded by poverty, his brother passed away, his dream of entering Song Lam football academy vanished, there was too much pressure and at times Cong Phuong wanted to drop out of school to follow his older siblings to the South to work for money. But the news that HA.GL opened a football academy made Cong Phuong revive his desire.

Cong Phuong and his father packed their bags and went to Gia Lai to take the entrance exam. God is fair and the efforts of Cong Phuong's family and himself were rewarded. Joining the first course of the HA.GL - Arsenal JMG academy, Cong Phuong proved himself and became the brightest star. Even after names like Van Quyen and Cong Vinh, people said that only Cong Phuong had the ability to continue to make a difference for the national team.

Growing up, having a place, the day of returning to Cong Phuong has finally come. HA.GL meets SLNA in Vinh, the most anticipated match of the season. The promise to his mother every year has come true and Cong Phuong has fulfilled his dream, playing for the first time on the "fire pan" of Vinh.

The dream of wearing SLNA's shirt did not come true, but now, with what he has, Cong Phuong can be proud. Nghe An people are happy for Cong Phuong because after many years of effort, he has become a bright star of Vietnamese football. In his heart, Cong Phuong certainly does not blame SLNA, because in those days, people worked according to principles. And as many people say, it is more correct to be happy for Cong Phuong, because joining HA.GL with such ideal nutritional and living conditions, Cong Phuong was able to develop his talent, but if he had been recruited into the "furnace" of Song Lam with poverty that has become a legend, it is unknown whether Phuong would have shone or not. Today, after the ups and downs of life, Cong Phuong has fulfilled his promise to his mother, inviting her to Vinh Stadium to watch him and his teammates compete.

Vinh Liem