Hoang Van Khanh - The unfinished symbol of Song Lam Nghe An

On personal Facebook page,Hoang Van Khanhsaid, Song Lam Nghe An is home, the place that gives him the opportunity to stick with football and realize his dream of becoming a professional player.

“Playing for Song Lam Nghe An is a privilege and a joy for me, and Song Lam Nghe An will always be in my heart! Every good thing has to end, and perhaps this is the time for me to look for a new challenge. Ahead of me is a new journey.”, former captain of Song Lam Nghe An wrote.

Weathering the storm

Born in 1995 in Tan Ky district, with a height of nearly 1.8m and good judgment and aerial combat ability, Hoang Van Khanh made a strong impression since he was just a young player. In 2014, along with Ho Tuan Tai, this player who grew up from the Song Lam Nghe An training center quickly took a place in the Vietnam U19 team, in the same generation as the famous names at that time such as Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh... At that time, the central defender from Nghe An was expected to shine brightly as he was among the rare young central defenders who played football with poise.

Hoang Van Khanh spent 15 years with Song Lam Nghe An Club. Photo: Archive

However, at the 2014 U19 International Tournament, held at Thong Nhat Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City), in a dispute, Van Khanh's tackle caused Oduwa (U19 Tottenham) to break his leg. It was this moment that almost quickly ended the budding career of a young player. Hoang Van Khanh was bluntly criticized by Mr. Duc and asked to leave U19 Vietnam. Van Khanh had to pay a personal price to avoid tarnishing the image of the "famous" U19 Vietnam that year.

Hoang Van Khanh in a training session of Song Lam Nghe An at the beginning of the 2022 season. Photo: Duc Anh

Faced with the risk of no longer having enough confidence and courage to continue playing football, right at the time when Hoang Van Khanh was in crisis and deadlock, the Southwest team Can Tho, under the guidance of coach Vu Quang Bao from Nghe An, welcomed Van Khanh with a loan contract from Song Lam Nghe An. Under the guidance of his fellow countryman, Van Khanh gradually regained his confidence and form.

Playing extremely well for Can Tho in the 2015 season, Hoang Van Khanh quickly regained his opportunity at home team Song Lam Nghe An. And in the Song Lam Nghe An team after that, Van Khanh played effectively, entered the typical squad of V-League 2017 and won the National Cup championship. Not only that, this player was also called up by coach Nguyen Huu Thang to join U23 Vietnam to attend SEA Games 29.

But it wasn't until the 2019 season, when central defender Que Ngoc Hai moved to play for Viettel Club, that Hoang Van Khanh truly became the leader of the Song Lam Nghe An defense. Playing alongside a quality foreign central defender like Damir Memovic, Van Khanh further demonstrated his defensive qualities.

If Memovic is the one who intercepts the high balls, Van Khanh plays as a central defender, aggressively and fiercely. It is this solidity that helps Song Lam Nghe An become the team with the best defense in V-League, conceding 26 goals, an average of 1 goal/match, less than the leading teams such as Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi...

Hoang Van Khanh has been captain of Song Lam Nghe An since the 2020 season. Photo: Thang Nguyen

In the 2020 season, when Song Lam Nghe An had to say goodbye to some veteran players such as goalkeeper Nguyen Manh and defender Dinh Hoang, Van Khanh was trusted by the team's leadership to be given the captain's armband of the Nghe An team. And Van Khanh had held this armband for more than 2 years, before handing it over to veteran center-back Que Ngoc Hai at the beginning of this season.

Unfinished icon

When Van Khanh was given the captain's armband of Song Lam Nghe An at the beginning of the 2020 season, at the age of 25 - considered a mature age for a player, fans of Song Lam Nghe An Club expected this central defender to be the new symbol of the Nghe An team like his senior central defenders Huu Thang, Huy Hoang, and Que Ngoc Hai. However, this wish was not fully fulfilled.

At the beginning of the 2020 season, despite no longer having his close partner Memovic by his side, Hoang Van Khanh still played excellently, helping Song Lam Nghe An rank at the top of the V.League.

However, in early June, in the match against Ba Ria - Vung Tau in the National Cup, Hoang Van Khanh suffered a serious knee injury after a collision with a teammate during a practice match and had to rest for nearly 2 months. Because of this injury, Van Khanh also missed the opportunity to be called up to the National Team under coach Park Hang-seo.

In the 2021 season, right before the opening match against Binh Dinh Club, Van Khanh suddenly suffered a hamstring injury. However, this central defender still endured the pain and entered the field to play. And in a situation of blocking the opposing striker, due to not having enough physical strength to approach, Van Khanh had to commit a rather rough foul and received a direct red card.

During the first phase of V.League 2021, Hoang Van Khanh missed 4 matches of Song Lam Nghe An due to injury and penalty cards. This is part of the reason why Song Lam Nghe An had a poor performance, with the bottom position (but fortunately not relegated due to the season being canceled due to the Covid-19 epidemic).

Van Khanh was injured in the match against Binh Dinh in round 2 of V.League 2022. Photo: Xuan Thuy

In the 2022 season, Van Khanh played excellently, helping Song Lam Nghe An win 3 points in the opening match at Go Dau Stadium of Binh Duong Club. However, in the second round, in the match against Binh Dinh at home, in a situation of blocking the opposing team's striker, Van Khanh was injured and had to leave the field in the 14th minute.

And it seems that this injury has greatly affected Van Khanh's performance for the rest of the season, even though V.League then took a break for 3 months for the national teams to concentrate and compete. After V.League returned, this central defender made many mistakes, such as in the match of round 7 against Hong Linh Ha Tinh or round 8 against Da Nang.

In particular, in the match against Da Nang at Hoa Xuan Stadium, Van Khanh made two silly mistakes, causing Song Lam Nghe An to lose 1-3. A few days later, although Song Lam Nghe An won 3-0 against Hai Phong at Vinh Stadium, Van Khanh suffered a relapse of his injury and was absent from several matches after that.

Throughout the 2022 season, Hoang Van Khanh only played 17/24 matches for Song Lam Nghe An in the V.League. And in the matches in which he was in the starting lineup, Van Khanh was no longer as excellent as in previous seasons. Many people believe that Van Khanh's decline this season comes from psychological problems, due to the return of veteran center-back Que Ngoc Hai - a player who was a symbol of Song Lam Nghe An before moving to Viettel in the 2019 season.

But many other opinions believe that the sensitivity to injuries is the main reason for Van Khanh's poor performance this season. If compared to the same playing position with senior central defenders, Van Khanh's injuries seem to be more frequent and more frequent. This is truly a pity, making Hoang Van Khanh still an unfinished symbol for Song Lam Nghe An.