Nghe An football stars inspire passion for football in young players

Must try one's best

After 23 seasons of organization,Youth - Children Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cuphas witnessed many talents discovered, and then they were recruited by Song Lam Nghe An Football Club as well as other professional football clubs, becoming stars of Vietnamese football as they dreamed when they were young boys. Among the many stars who have grown up from the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, we can mention Pham Van Quyen, Le Cong Vinh, Au Van Hoan, Tran Dinh Hoang, Ho Khac Ngoc, Ho Tuan Tai, Phan Van Duc, Dinh Xuan Tien, Dang Van Lam...

Once a famous player - won the Golden Ball of Vietnamese football in 2003, after retiringPham Van Quyenhas also been associated with Nghe An football for a long time in the role of training youth teams before becoming Deputy Coach of Song Lam Nghe An Club.

Sharing with the young people, Coach Pham Van Quyen said that at this age, most of them are away from their families for the first time, so they will certainly encounter many surprises. However, with their passion for football, Pham Van Quyen believes that they will overcome difficulties and pressures to best demonstrate their qualities.

Coach Pham Van Quyen and players Dang Van Lam and Dinh Xuan Tien interacted with young players participating in the 24th Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament in 2022. Photo: Duc Anh

Coach Pham Van Quyen recalled that when he participated in the Youth - Children's Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup, he was only 12 years old. Since then, he has been working hard and practicing hard on the training ground to acquire the skills and qualities necessary for a striker. For each player, if selected to join Song Lam Nghe An Club, the players will have to go through many different team levels from U11, U13, U15, U17, U19... If they do not constantly strive to practice on the training ground and cultivate morality, it will be very difficult for the players to pursue their passion.

“From the time I was recruited to the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament to the time I was recruited to Song Lam Nghe An Club, I always set goals for myself to strive for. The highest goal is to be promoted to the first team and further, to be selected for the national team. Therefore, in addition to passion, children also need to constantly strive. Once they have tried their best, football will certainly not let them down,” shared Coach Pham Van Quyen.

Talking about the opportunity to catch the eye of scouts, Coach Pham Van Quyen said that with the prestige of the Youth - Children's Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup, there will be many scouts in the stands watching, maybe from Song Lam Nghe An Club, but there may also be people from other clubs watching, so the players should show their full potential, reveal all their best. If they play well, their chances of entering professional football will be wider.

Even though I am not on the podium, on the training ground as well as the field, the players always call me teacher. I feel this is a very sacred thing. Football has given me everything. Going into the tournament, I hope that the players will be confident, fight with all their might for the local flag and colors, and for an even higher dream of joining a club and being selected for the national team.

Deputy Coach of Song Lam Nghe An Club Pham Van Quyen

Nurture your passion

Having participated in the Youth - Children's Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup with the Do Luong Children's team, he won the runner-up position in 2010, then was recruited by Song Lam Nghe An Club, the playerDang Van Lamstill have the same emotions as the teenagers and children at this time. At the exchange, Dang Van Lam shared that the Youth - Children's Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup is a place to nurture the passion of many young people, of many generations of players of Song Lam Nghe An Club.

Although it is just a sport, like other sports, football is something very special. On the field, players play not only for their passion, for the flag and the shirt, but also for their relatives, family, and most of all, for the fans. Dang Van Lam hopes that teenagers and children will always maintain their passion to create good plays and beautiful situations on the field. No matter what the results on the field are, they are all winners.

Player Dang Van Lam, who won the runner-up title with Do Luong Children's Football Club at the 2010 Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, is currently a pillar of Song Lam Nghe An Club. Photo: Duc Anh

For Song Lam Nghe An Club, if Dang Van Lam is considered the successor of Cong Phuong and a copy of Cong Vinh, both of these players have participated and grown up from the Youth Football Tournament Nghe An Newspaper Cup. ThenDinh Xuan Tien- The captain of the Nam Dan children's football team that won the Nghe An Newspaper Cup in 2014 is considered a precious gem. He once won the Southeast Asian championship with the Vietnam U23 team, but the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth - Children's Football Tournament is always a beautiful memory that will never be forgotten.

Tien said that until now, 8 years after winning the championship, he still keeps the images of that tournament in his computer, so that every time he is tired, he opens them to look at them as a kind of mental motivation to help him feel more excited.

Dinh Xuan Tien (blue shirt), brought Nam Dan Children to the championship at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth-Children Football Tournament in 2014. Photo: document

In front of the young people who are eagerly standing before their first big playground, Tien shared that they may feel bewildered when they are away from home for the first time, but when entering the match, the cheers of the audience, along with the spirit of victory will carry them along. Although out of the 500 young athletes attending this tournament, only a few will be selected to join football clubs, their passion for the ball will not decrease.

After 8 years of winning the Youth Football Championship with Nam Dan Children's Football Club in Nghe An Newspaper Cup, Dinh Xuan Tien has made constant efforts, was promoted to the first team of Song Lam Nghe An Club and became an important link in this year's season. Photo: Xuan Thuy

From the Youth - Children Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup, Pham Van Quyen, Dang Van Lam or Dinh Xuan Tien have become known to many people, they have also shone brighter when they appeared on big playgrounds. However, for them, experiencing the passion for football at the age of teenagers and children is still an unforgettable experience./.