Ho Sy Sam: From 'silent warrior' to 'super sub'

(Baonghean.vn) - Although his forte is central midfielder, Ho Sy Sam rarely shows his ability in the Nghe An team's jersey.

After 4 seasons, the 24-year-old player has become accustomed to the role of 'super sub' at Vinh Stadium.

1. In the 73rd minute, in the match of round 20 of V. League 2014 between Dong Nai and SLNA at Bien Hoa stadium, young midfielder Ho Sy Sam had an accurate rebound kick that went into the net of goalkeeper Hoang Tuan, equalizing 1-1 for the away team from Nghe An. That was the most memorable moment of the player born in 1993 in the V. League playground so far.

If anyone had witnessed Ho Sy Sam's performance on the afternoon of July 6, 2014, few would have expected that the career path of the midfielder from Quynh Luu would be so difficult.

Ho Sy Sam is known as the super reserve player.

Emerging from the National U17 Cup Hai Nhan held in Nam Dinh city in 2009. Ho Sy Sam was only 16 years old at that time, one of the youngest players of U17 SLNA. However, this midfielder's playing style was very mature compared to his peers.

Trusted by head coach Nguyen Van Tien to take on the role of central midfielder alongside senior Ho Khac Ngoc, Ho Sy Sam almost shouldered the entire midfield in the home team's long-range defense.

Playing enthusiastically, energetically and with an intelligent and alert way of handling each ball, Ho Sy Sam is the "silent launching pad" for Ho Khac Ngoc to comfortably show off his excellent technical ability and tactical vision.

The final match against Dong Thap U17 was a typical example of Ho Sy Sam's important role in the SLNA U17 squad. After Phung Que was stripped of his right to play, the young team from Nghe An had to play 10 vs 11. Thanks to Ho Sy Sam's fierce and persistent work in the front line, the SLNA U17 defense stood firm against the pressure from Dong Thap U17.

The final victory with a score of 1-0 (goal by Le Van Cong) against U17 Dong Thap helped U17 SLNA win the championship for the 6th consecutive time in this tournament. In the achievement made at Thien Truong Stadium in 2009, most fans remember the goals of Nguyen Phung Que, Le Van Cong, Ngo Hoang Thinh or the outstanding performances of Ho Khac Ngoc, Pham Manh Hung, Le Van Hung... but few people recognize the excellence of central midfielder Ho Sy Sam.

Simply, the player from Quynh Luu always plays a silent role, creating a background for his teammates to shine and bring success to the home team.

Ho Sy Sam (white shirt) during a training session at the Vietnam Olympic Team in 2014. Illustrative photo

2.Being promoted to SLNA's first team in 2013 under coach Nguyen Huu Thang, Ho Sy Sam often played as a "supporting actor" for seniors such as Hoang Van Binh, Nguyen Quang Tinh, Ngo Hoang Thinh and then teammates of the same age such as Vo Ngoc Toan, Que Ngoc Hai... In the position of central midfielder of the Nghe An team.

In the past 4 years, the player born in 1993 has rarely received patience and trust from SLNA's coaching staff. The time Ho Sy Sam was able to put on his shoes and play on the field can be counted on the fingers of one hand, the rest of the time was spent sitting on the bench.

In V. League 2016, after Tran Dinh Hoang was injured and had to take a long break, coach Ngo Quang Truong decided to use Ho Sy Sam to fill in for the right-back position. Despite his efforts in training and playing, because he had to play in a position that was not his forte, Ho Sy Sam still could not complete the assigned task. Ho Sy Sam's trial for the right-back position seemed to have ended with coach Nguyen Duc Thang replacing coach Ngo Quang Truong on the coaching bench.

However, in the times he was put on the field, the 24-year-old player rarely played in midfield, instead he was in charge of the right side of the Nghe An team's defense. Even in the match against Than Quang Ninh at Cam Pha Stadium in round 6 of V. League 2017, Ho Sy Sam had to replace Vo Ngoc Duc in the left-back position. Although we know that modern football always requires every player to adapt to many positions and comply with the team's coaching staff's intentions. But everything has its downside.

According to statistics from the beginning of the season until now, Ho Sy Sam has only played in 5 matches (including the match with Dak Lak in the National Cup), equivalent to about 200 minutes on the field. It is worth mentioning that more than half of that time was in the role of right-back.

Obviously, not getting to play much and when he is used, he often plays against his strengths, causing Ho Sy Sam's talent to fade.

In the situation where Vo Ngoc Toan is struggling with injury, veteran Nguyen Van Van Vinh cannot ensure his physical strength to play the full 90 minutes of consecutive matches, the plan to use Ho Sy Sam still seems worth the SLNA coaching board's attention.

Thanh Hung