Ho Van Cuong: From a first stumble in his career to the U17 SLNA champion.

Having emerged from his disciplinary suspension, Cuong is now diligently training every day to prove himself a player with good professional skills and ethics, deserving a place in the first team.SLNA.

Ho Van Cuong played energetically, neutralizing many attacks from foreign players in the internal match at SLNA. Photo: Duc Anh

Emerging from mistakes

Born in Hoang Mai district, Ho Van Cuong started playing football for Quynh Tan Secondary School at the age of 10. Despite his small stature, he showed early signs of innate talent. Coach Nguyen Hai from the Quynh Luu District Cultural and Sports Center witnessed Cuong's performance and was impressed, expressing his desire for him to train in the district's gifted football class. Even at such a young age, Cuong was wholeheartedly passionate about the sport. "Except when I was studying, my mind was always on the ball; I even dreamed of playing football at night. I wished that one day I would be on the Vietnamese National Team," Cuong recounted.

Recognizing their son's passion for football, Cuong's parents didn't mind the long distance, driving him from home to training grounds, a journey of over 20 km, so he could pursue his dream. Because of his outstanding abilities, Coach Hai – the coach of the gifted football class – introduced him to the SLNA academy. However, due to his small stature, Cuong didn't catch the eye of the SLNA scouts at the time. Undeterred, Cuong still nurtured his dream of becoming a professional player. He was introduced to the PVF training academy by the coach of the Quynh Luu gifted football class. Fortunately, Cuong was accepted by the scouts there. Cuong shared: "That day was truly unforgettable for me. I couldn't sleep at night, just wanting the morning to come quickly so I could train."

Ho Van Cuong consistently performs well in all training programs set by the SLNA coaching staff. Photo: Duc Anh

Throughout training, Cuong consistently demonstrated his potential. The coach tried him in several positions on the field, and he performed well in each role. However, the position where he left the strongest impression was right-back. Cuong is a small player but possesses speed, technique, and intelligence. Therefore, in PVF's matches, the wing is always the main attacking force most frequently used by the coach.

Based on his performance, he was called up to the Vietnam U16 National Team by the coach. There, he played in his preferred position as a right-back. Although the Vietnam U16 team didn't perform well that year, Ho Van Cuong played quite energetically. He always provided a sense of security, whether defending or participating in attacks.

But this time, joining the national team marked a turning point in Ho Van Cuong's football career. Cuong received disciplinary action from the head coach of the U16 national team, being expelled from the team, along with a notice sent to PVF requesting disciplinary action and contract termination. Speaking about the incident, Cuong recounted: “Back then, I was young and naive. I sent messages in a private group with some friends from the U16 national team to tease the coach, but unfortunately, the messages were leaked and I was disciplined by the coach. That's a lesson I'll never forget.”

In his desperation, Cuong found a lifeline when he was introduced to SLNA by a PVF coach. After a trial period, SLNA's coach assessed Cuong as a player with the necessary skills and suitability for the team. Despite only a short time training with his new team, Cuong consistently received praise from his teammates for his dedication and technical skills. In 2020, when the U17 National Championship began, Cuong was a key player in the SLNA U17 squad. He was always a preferred starter for the coach. In this tournament, Cuong demonstrated intelligent play, tactical vision, and basic technique. He was the initiator of dangerous attacks on the right wing.

In the U17 National Championship final, Cuong was the key player contributing to SLNA's victory. He scored the first goal of the final and provided an assist for a teammate's goal. "This was my first important tournament for SLNA. I overcame my own nervousness to play aggressively and passionately, and I reaped the rewards for the team. I have somewhat lived up to the expectations that the coaches at SLNA had for me," Cuong recalled.

Thanks to his contributions to the U17 team, Cuong was promoted to the SLNA U21 team to play in the 2021 National U21 Championship when he was only 18 years old. In this tournament, Cuong once again demonstrated his skill and ability. He and the SLNA U21 team won the Silver Medal at the 2021 National U21 Championship.

Ho Van Cuong is a promising player; he will go far in the future. Photo: Duc Anh

The dream is gradually becoming a reality.

Following the formation of the new SLNA coaching staff, many reforms have been implemented at the Nghe An team. Players who were deemed unsuitable or lacked the necessary professional skills have been released. Simultaneously, the head coach will select capable players to build a deeper squad and create a solid foundation for the future. To fulfill this task, the new SLNA coaching staff has called up five players from the SLNA youth team to play for the first team, including Ho Van Cuong.

Upon joining the first team, Cuong was assigned by the coach to play in his preferred position as a right-back. “In the early days of joining the first team, I felt overwhelmed and somewhat intimidated. The senior players in the SLNA team had a very high level of skill, far superior to the youth team. They had also gained a lot of experience and their football skills were well-developed, so I lacked a bit of confidence when facing them,” Cuong confided.

After an initial period of adjustment, Cuong gradually regained his confidence. In an internal SLNA match, Ho Van Cuong and Dinh Xuan Tien were selected to play alongside the senior players. Cuong was assigned the role of right-back. Despite his small stature, with his speed and appropriate pressing technique, Cuong neutralized many dangerous passes from foreign players like Olaha and Peter. Also in this match, Cuong's intelligent touches initiated many effective attacks.

Cuong shared: “Playing for the first team is my dream. My childhood dream was to play for SLNA, and now that dream is gradually becoming a reality. I will strive every day so that in the not too distant future I will be in the starting lineup of SLNA.”

Speaking about the turning point in his football career when he moved from PVF to SLNA, Ho Van Cuong shared: “There were times when I thought my football career was over. However, that turning point led me to my hometown team, where I was able to win titles that many players aspire to. I feel very lucky and grateful to the coaches at SLNA for giving me the opportunity to live my passion.”

Although Ho Van Cuong still has a long way to go, he will have to continue practicing diligently and improving himself. But with his passion, talent, and eagerness to learn, I am confident that Ho Van Cuong will achieve great success in the future.