Looking at U23 Vietnam reminds me of "a crazy person"
(Baonghean.vn) - Right after Tien Dung's 11m penalty kick defeated the Iraqi goalkeeper, bringing U23 Vietnam to the semi-finals of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the first person I thought of was Mr. Duc of HAGL.
His dream of winning the SEA Games gold medal has not yet come true, but we have reaped the rewards of continental youth football.
It must be said that if there was no “madman” who decided to cut down the vast rubber forest and invested hundreds of billions of dong to establish the HAGL-JMG Football Academy in 2006, would Vietnamese football now have a generation of talented players like: Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Hong Duy, Van Thanh, Thanh Hau…
Madman story
There are few people like him, talking about football as “crazy”, crazy because he kept playing, playing and still lost to Thailand. Then he understood that he had to build a house from the foundation, slowly but firmly, then he would have a chance. Every time he mentioned this story, Ba Duc laughed and said: “Some people said I was crazy. And it was really crazy. No one would cut down a whole rubber forest, spend hundreds of billions to invest in football like that. I tell you the truth, this amount of money is enough to bring back several championships for HAGL. Simple, light as a feather.”
Then he answered himself: “But what is the point of doing that? Is it for pleasure? It is already pleasure. If everyone is like that, then what will Vietnamese football become and where will it go? No one knows.”
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| Mr. Duc can smile now. Photo: Internet |
More than a decade ago, while a boss was excited: "Vietnamese football, to win the championship, you don't need midfielders, you don't need strikers, you just need cash", someone dug up dozens of hectares of rubber trees to plant grass and build a football academy. It was crazy, crazy to have today, from North to South, a flag is shining after the unbelievable victory of U23 Vietnam in China.
What to expect
The 17th ASIAD in Incheon, South Korea witnessed two consecutive earthquakes named U.23 Vietnam. They defeated Iran, defeated Kyrgyzstan to confidently enter the round of 16 strongest teams. For the first time in history, U.23 Vietnam can go so far in ASIAD.
Up to now, that is still the best achievement that the U.23 team can achieve in this arena and in fact after the 17th ASIAD, Vietnamese football was more sad than happy, especially the humiliating defeat at the recent 29th SEA Games.
Quietly over the past few years, the Cong Phuong generation has been put into the game, participating in tournaments from the AFF Cup, the 2016 U.23 Asian Finals and 2 SEA Games, and has matured and become much more solid and skilled.
“The children of Mr. Duc” gritted their teeth and played in the V-League, being beaten up by seniors and foreign players to gradually mature. Besides, the combination of young players from Viettel, PVF, and Hanoi made a big splash when they reached the U.20 World Cup such as Quang Hai, Duc Chinh, and Tien Dung.
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| U23 is thriving at the 2018 Asian Cup. Photo: Internet |
When he had a satisfactory batch of players, this “madman” himself flew to Korea to seek guidance for the national team. Having Mr. Park today must be credited to Mr. Duc, who had a keen eye to recognize the coaching ability of the Korean coach.
Coming to Vietnam, much more advantageous than his predecessor, Coach Toshiya Miura, Mr. Park Hang-seo possesses many bright gems with enough conditions to create a strong team in both quantity and quality.
Surrounding this talented captain are his capable associates: assistant Lee Young-jin, fitness expert Bae Myung-ho and most especially technical director Juergen Gede (German)... who have created a new look for U23 Vietnam through each match at the U23 Asian Cup.
Maybe Mr. Duc speaks rudely and hot-temperedly, but fans feel in him a heart and affection for the country's football. Vietnamese football needs someone who can say and do like him!
Mr. Duc and Mr. Thang pledge not to give up football
The two bosses who helped HAGL and DTLA win the V-League many times pledged together that whoever quits football will have to shave their beards.
When VFF still trusts Mr. Duc
(Baonghean) - On December 2, the annual congress of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) took place. At this congress, many issues arising from the past football season were discussed, including the content that attracted much attention, which was the VFF Executive Committee considering the resignation of Vice President Doan Nguyen Duc.
