Teenage 'stars' at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup

The teenage striker from Quynh province wins a double title.

Along with the joy of his teammates successfully defending their title in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, Nguyen Chi Cong – the striker of the Quynh Luu Youth team – also had a special personal joy: winning both the Best Player and Top Scorer awards.

Born in 2012, Nguyen Chi Cong is the eldest of two brothers and is currently a student at Tan Son Secondary School. Passionate about football since the age of 4-5, in the summer of 2022, after finishing 4th grade, upon hearing that a community football class was being offered in the neighboring commune of Quynh Tam, Chi Cong asked his parents to let him join.

Here, despite his small stature, Nguyen Chi Cong's quick and skillful footwork quickly caught the eye of coach Duong Vu Phong – an official from the Culture, Sports and Communication Center of Quynh Luu district, and the head coach of the Quynh Luu football teams participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament.

A year later, this player was selected for the Quynh Luu District Children's Team to participate in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament, playing on the left wing. Although the Quynh Luu Children's Team was eliminated in the quarterfinals and Nguyen Chi Cong himself did not score any goals, the experiences in this competition gave Cong a lot of experience and determination to mature in his football skills.

This season, coach Duong Vu Phong has deployed Nguyen Chi Cong as a striker, tasked with scoring goals. He has excelled in this role, contributing more than half of the team's goals (6/11).

After failing to score in the first match, Nguyen Chi Cong began scoring regularly from the second game onwards. In the matches against Hung Nguyen Youth in the second round of the group stage, Quy Chau Youth in the quarterfinals, Quy Hop Youth in the semifinals, and Vinh City Youth in the final, the striker scored one goal per game. In the final group stage match against Hoang Mai Youth, Nguyen Chi Cong scored a brace.

Besides his ability to seize scoring opportunities, Nguyen Chi Cong also impressed with his tireless enthusiasm, aggressiveness, and seamless coordination with his teammates. In many situations, he was even willing to drop back to the midfield to intercept passes to his teammates on the wings for them to take shots. Therefore, it's no surprise that in addition to dominating the top scorer title, he also won the Best Player award of the tournament.

A reliable checkpoint for teenagers in Vinh City.

Although the Vinh City Youth team couldn't avenge last year's defeat against the Quynh Luu Youth team in the final, they did "showcase" an outstanding goalkeeper in Pham Hoang Gia Bao.

Born in 2012 but already nearly 1.70m tall, this young goalkeeper residing in Hung Phuc ward has been involved in the goalkeeper position since he first joined the community football class opened in the ward in the 3rd grade. However, due to the recent emergence of many outstanding young goalkeepers in Vinh City, it wasn't until this season that Gia Bao had the opportunity to experience the vibrant atmosphere of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament as part of the Vinh City Youth team.

Besides his superior physique, Pham Hoang Gia Bao's strengths also include a strong competitive mentality, intelligent positioning, and good reflexes. Furthermore, during training for the tournament, Gia Bao received dedicated guidance from a former goalkeeping coach of Song Lam Nghe An Football Club, helping him to gradually improve his skills.

At this year's Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, the Vinh City youth team was not highly rated in terms of defensive organization. However, the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Pham Hoang Gia Bao compensated for this weakness, while also providing reassurance to the attacking players.

Throughout the tournament, which saw them finish as runners-up, despite conceding only 5 goals, Phạm Hoàng Gia Bảo's outstanding saves and accurate passes that initiated attacks and counter-attacks made him the most prominent goalkeeper in the competition. According to experts, the Best Goalkeeper award was entirely deserved.

Like Nguyen Chi Cong, Pham Hoang Gia Bao is the eldest of two brothers in his family. “My idol is the Spanish goalkeeper De Gea, and I’ve always dreamed of becoming a professional goalkeeper. However, whether I can fulfill that dream depends on my family’s circumstances and my parents’ decision. For now, I just hope to study well and play football regularly to satisfy my passion,” the young goalkeeper shared.