A dream come true

(Baonghean) - In our conversation with Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, the mother of footballer Cong Phuong, there was one detail that we will always remember. Mrs. Hoa recounted that when Cong Phuong's older brother, Nguyen Cong Khoa, was still alive, the two brothers often played football together.

“I often jokingly call them ‘destructive’ because every day, they break something or other while practicing football. Each time that happens, they reassure me, ‘Mom, don’t worry, when we become Song Lam players, we’ll invite you to Vinh Stadium to watch us play and compensate you many times over for everything we broke…’”

His older brother, Nguyen Cong Khoa, later drowned and passed away, and Cong Phuong was unable to fulfill his dream of joining the Song Lam academy. This afternoon (April 12th), Cong Phuong's long-held dream will come true as he returns to play in Vinh for the first time, and his mother, Nguyen Thi Hoa, will be there to cheer him on.

Cong Phuong and his mother.

Sad story from the past

When Cong Phuong became the brightest star of HA.GL, many wondered why he wasn't selected for the Song Lam academy. Looking back, we came across some interesting information about Cong Phuong's story from eight years ago.

At that time, as usual, after the 2007 Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, the organizing committee selected the most impressive players of the tournament and introduced them to the Song Lam academy. From there, depending on the family's needs, if they wished for their children to join the Song Lam academy, they could contact them for an tryout. The testing process to select the 20 best players for the Song Lam academy took place over a month.

Due to the large number of players, SLNA had to divide the training and tryouts into different locations. Cong Phuong and several other players from mountainous districts of Nghe An were assigned to train at the Viet Han College (which SLNA borrowed). After more than a month of numerous tests in technical skills and physical fitness, the Song Lam academy sent the players back to their families without directly announcing the results. Later, those who received an acceptance letter from SLNA proceeded with the formalities to join, while those who did not receive a letter were considered eliminated.

At the same time as Công Phượng's tryouts, there were two other very promising players at SLNA at that time: Mạnh Hùng and Ngọc Hải. According to our investigation, Công Phượng and Mạnh Hùng tried out at the same location, the Việt Hàn College. Ngọc Hải, however, tried out at the SLNA club's headquarters. After more than a month, those who passed were gathered together and officially accepted by the Sông Lam academy. Of these three players, Ngọc Hải and Mạnh Hùng were accepted due to their height and better physical condition. Công Phượng was eliminated because he did not meet the physical criteria.

The longing for home

Surrounded by poverty, with his older brother's death, his dream of joining the Song Lam football academy shattered, and facing immense pressure, Cong Phuong sometimes considered dropping out of school to follow his siblings south to work and earn money. But the news that HA.GL was opening a football academy rekindled his passion.

Cong Phuong and his father packed their bags and went to Gia Lai for the tryouts. Fate is fair, and the efforts of the family and Cong Phuong himself were rewarded. Joining the first intake of the HA.GL – Arsenal JMG academy, Cong Phuong proved himself and became the brightest star. In fact, after names like Van Quyen and Cong Vinh, people say that only Cong Phuong has the potential to continue their legacy and make a difference for the national team.

Having matured and established himself, the day of return for Cong Phuong has finally arrived. The match between HA.GL and SLNA in Vinh is the most anticipated game of the entire season. The promise he made to his mother years ago has come true, and Cong Phuong has fulfilled his dream of playing for the first time in the "fiery" stadium of Vinh.

Cong Phuong's dream of playing for SLNA didn't come true, but now, with what he has, he can still be proud. People in Nghe An are happy for Cong Phuong because after years of effort, he has become a bright star of Vietnamese football. Deep down, Cong Phuong probably doesn't blame SLNA, because back then, they worked according to principles. And as many people say, it's more accurate to say we should be happy for Cong Phuong, because joining HA.GL with its ideal nutritional and living conditions allowed him to develop his talent. If he had joined the Song Lam academy, with its legendary poverty, it's uncertain whether Phuong would have shone. Today, after the ups and downs of life, Cong Phuong has fulfilled his promise to his mother, inviting her to Vinh Stadium to watch him and his teammates play.

Vinh Liem