The unsung hero

(Baonghean) - In SLNA's midfield, Quang Tình, Phi Sơn, and Hoàng Thịnh are often mentioned, but there's another name that plays consistently well and makes many contributions: Hồ Sỹ Sâm. For many years, Sỹ Sâm has remained the same, quiet and unassuming, but as coach Ngô Quang Trường said: "He has done a lot, but not everyone sees his contributions."

In the Nghe An team, Sy Sam is the quietest and most well-behaved player. Being a private person, this midfielder doesn't know how to "PR" himself in the way many footballers often do to increase their value. Therefore, when mentioning Sy Sam, many people don't know him or have only heard of him vaguely; he's not as famous as Phi Son, Hoang Thinh, or Manh Hung and Ngoc Hai. Nevertheless, to those involved, Sy Sam leads a healthy, spotless life and is particularly serious and disciplined in his daily life, training, and matches.

Player Sy Sam (in white shirt) in the U.23 Vietnam jersey. Photo: Internet

Ho Sy Sam was born in Thanh Da commune, Quynh Luu district. Gifted and successful in various selections, Sy Sam joined the Song Lam academy at a young age. His name was already familiar from tournaments such as the U.17 and U.19 national championships. In 2012, after performing excellently for the U.19 SLNA team, Sy Sam was called up to the Vietnam U.19 national team to participate in the Southeast Asian Championship and subsequently the Asian qualifiers.

As a standout player, a year later, Sy Sam officially earned a place in SLNA's first team. At just 20 years old, he was given the opportunity to "test his mettle" in the V.League – a great honor that not every young player at the Nghe An team was lucky enough to possess. At that time, SLNA's midfield was still very strong with names like Van Binh, Trong Hoang, Hoang Thinh, Quang Tinh… so Sy Sam was like an apprentice, occasionally coming on when Van Binh was injured or received a yellow card.

Quietly and steadily, Sy Sam continued to progress, and by 2014, he was regularly playing. Coach Nguyen Huu Thang recognized Sy Sam's creative abilities and determined that this midfielder from Quynh Luu would replace Van Binh in the midfield. Starting from the 2014 season, Sy Sam was more frequently included in the starting lineup, and in every match, he performed his duties well.

Without flashy moves or spectacular plays, Sy Sam always ensures his position is secure. He's never been seen lacking energy or enthusiasm; instead, he's consistently reliable in his roles, a quality not easily recognized. Besides playmaking, Sy Sam also excels at intercepting passes, a sensitive position prone to injury. At SLNA, besides Hoang Thinh, Sy Sam is also capable of performing this role well.

Sỹ Sâm's efforts were rewarded when, in the 2014 season, he scored his first goal for SLNA in the V.League. It was the equalizer, making the score 1-1 for the Nghe An team at the Dong Nai stadium, after which Cong Vinh and Phi Son scored two consecutive goals, helping the visiting team stage a spectacular comeback. The goal was a source of motivation, but after that, Sỹ Sâm continued his career quietly and unassumingly. He rarely spoke about himself, so the name Sỹ Sâm remained unknown, not everyone knew him as a special person, even though in 2014, he was one of the few SLNA players called up to the Vietnamese Olympic team preparing for the Asian Games in South Korea.

When Ngo Quang Truong took over the team, he still recognized Sy Sam's value and continued to trust him. Through consistently using the 1993-born player, the SLNA coaching staff realized that, besides playing as a midfielder, Sy Sam could also perform well in many other positions. That's also why, in many matches this season, Quang Truong has deployed Sy Sam as a left-back. In any position he's given, Sy Sam has always performed well.

In his third season in the V.League, Sy Sam has become a key player, and next year, with many key players' contracts expiring and leaving, Sy Sam's role will undoubtedly become even more important. The future is bright for this midfielder, and that is a well-deserved reward for a player who represents a quiet style but always prioritizes discipline, and rarely gives others cause for complaint when he's on the field.

VINH LIEM