Nguyen Huy Hoang - the man who "keeps the flame alive"

(Baonghean) - In 1992-1993, every summer, young Nguyen Huy Hoang would bid farewell to his hometown of Nghia Dan and visit his father who was working in Vinh. From those trips, Hoang developed a passion for football, and later became one of the legends of Nghe An football...

Central defender Nguyen Huy Hoang is currently the head coach of the SLNA U10 team. Photo: Internet

Yesterday's dream

During his visits to Vinh, his father, who worked as a driver for the SLNA football team, discovered his son's football talent. He was then introduced to play as a goalkeeper for the Cua Nam ward team. In his first year participating in a city-level football tournament, Huy Hoang won the award for best goalkeeper.

At that time, Huy Hoang was only 12 years old, and he didn't yet realize that he would one day become a professional football player. After a hot summer day playing football, he and his older brother returned to the farm with their mother and sister to prepare for the new school year. Not long after, his older brother was brought to Vinh by their father to live and join the SLNA youth academy. Huy Hoang, however, had to continue his studies and still visited his father in Vinh every summer.

Upon entering high school, the young man from Nghia Dan left the farm to officially join the Song Lam academy. One summer day in 1999 at Vinh Stadium, player number 6, defender and captain Nguyen Huy Hoang, lifted the U18 National Championship trophy amidst the overwhelming emotions of the Vinh City audience. Huy Hoang's dream began to come true; he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his U18 championship achievement.

Huy Hoang's solid technique, aggressive and powerful playing style, and willingness to engage in physical challenges, coupled with his composure, caught the eye of coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh. Making his debut for the SLNA first team, the player from Nghia Dan province achieved a series of successes. Notable titles include: National Championship 2000-2001, U18 Championship 1999, and U21 Thanh Nien Newspaper Championship 2000-2001.

Huy Hoang won the silver medal at the 2002 LG Cup, the bronze medal at the 2002 Tiger Cup, the championship at the 2003 LG Cup, and the title of best Vietnamese player in 2001. He participated in the 21st and 22nd SEA Games, the 2002 ASIAD, the 2004 Asian Cup qualifiers, and the 2004 Olympic qualifiers. It was from these tournaments that people began to recognize his signature playing style: his spectacular overhead kicks and his selfless tackling and interceptions.

The leader's oath

The period of 2005-2006 was also the time when center-back Nguyen Huy Hoang emerged as one of the top talents in Vietnamese football. His transfer value was approximately 6-7 billion VND – a figure considered a "blockbuster" at the time.

Idolizing Paolo Maldini and admiring the Italian defender's loyalty to AC Milan, Nguyen Huy Hoang swore he would not leave SLNA under any circumstances. It is said that the club owners of Dong Tam Long An, HN ACB, and HAGL at the time all showed special interest in Huy Hoang. In particular, Mr. Kien (HN ACB) and Mr. Duc (HAGL) took turns meeting directly with Huy Hoang to negotiate.

But they all received the same answer: "If you give me money, I'll take it, but asking me to leave SLNA is something that will never happen," Huy Hoang said, half-jokingly, half-seriously, and the club owners had no choice but to leave after that firm response.

Huy Hoang - a former center-back for the national team and SLNA - now shoulders the important responsibility of a coach.

Of course, despite rejecting lucrative contracts and generous sums of money, Huy Hoang received the highest salary and special benefits at SLNA, and was even given the responsibility of assistant coach and player in the following years. For fans in Nghe An, the image of the valiant captain with a blood-stained white bandage on his head, shouting encouragement and motivating his teammates, will never be forgotten. Because of this, the SLNA captain suffered several serious injuries.

Having spent over 14 years with SLNA's first team, Huy Hoang became a major brand, winning the hearts of countless fans in Nghe An province, even becoming a living legend and the soul of SLNA's playing style. But then, "no one is perfect," and the image and symbol that Huy Hoang had painstakingly built completely collapsed after the "life-changing accident," the "dancing and singing in a car" incident that occurred in Thanh Hoa in 2013.

That unforgivable mistake cost Huy Hoang almost everything, and most importantly, the trust and love of the fans. Not stopping there, Huy Hoang also faced being removed from the SLNA Joint Stock Company roster. Coach Nguyen Huu Thang later shared: “I am extremely regretful. Huy Hoang was someone I had high hopes for to continue my work at SLNA. That incident was beyond my imagination; otherwise, Huy Hoang would have had a well-deserved position at the club.”

After that life-changing setback, Huy Hoang was forced to drift to Can Tho for a year before quietly retiring from his career. No one wanted it; fans and teammates bid farewell to a legend, to all the glory. They say "forgive and forget," a new life, a new future full of hope awaits this man... As for me, after everything I've been through, I remain steadfast in one belief: he truly is my idol! And it's difficult for anyone to replace his place in my heart – center-back Nguyen Huy Hoang.

Trung Kien