Cong Phuong: The pressure of expectations

Nearly four years have passed since his debut with the U19 team, and despite having played under four different coaches, Cong Phuong seems to have remained unchanged.

Cong Phuong is always the center of attention for the media and fans, regardless of how he performs on the field. Photo: Lam Thoa.

At the press conferences before and after the recent match against Afghanistan, new head coach Park Hang-seo was constantly faced with questions related to Cong Phuong. But all the fans saw was that Cong Phuong... remained the same, even though Park is his fourth coach with the Vietnamese national team.

Before the South Korean coach, his predecessors Toshiya Miura, Nguyen Huu Thang, and interim coach Mai Duc Chung all shared a common problem: questions about Cong Phuong were always asked during press conferences.

At one point, Miura countered the reporter's question, asking why they kept asking about Cong Phuong when the team had 23 players, why no one paid attention when he dropped another player, but Cong Phuong was questioned relentlessly.

So, what exactly has this player, considered the "national hero," accomplished in all those years on the national team? The answer: seemingly nothing remarkable. And if Phuong hasn't been able to make a significant impact under different coaches, is it because the coaches were all incompetent, or is there a problem with Cong Phuong himself?

*Cong Phuong's unforgettable goal against Australia U19

Cong Phuong: Don't be like an echo from the earthly world.

This year, Cong Phuong is 22 years old. Still young, but he has been a member of the national team for many years. He has participated in the SEA Games and is a key player for HAGL in the V-League. At the same age, Cong Vinh and Van Quyen won the Golden Ball. Vinh led Vietnam to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, while Quyen led the U23 Vietnam team to the SEA Games final. Also at Phuong's age, Pham Thanh Luong was part of the team that won the 2008 AFF Cup.

If we don't want to dwell on the past, let's talk about the present. In 2014, Tottenham's U19 team participated in the Four-Team Tournament alongside Vietnam's U19 team. Harry Winks was part of the Tottenham squad at that time. The direct confrontation between Winks and Cong Phuong ended with a close 3-2 victory for the English team.

Three months later, Winks was included in Tottenham's squad for the first time in a Premier League match. Three years after that day, Winks – one year younger than Cong Phuong – has become a key player in Tottenham's midfield, has helped his team defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League, is a promising national team player, and is contributing to making the "Spurs" a title contender in the toughest league on the planet.

Winks (right) played confidently in Tottenham's 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the recent Champions League group stage match.

Also in Gia Lai, nearly 20 years ago, there was a young star who was sought after by the media and whom fans hoped would be the future of Vietnamese football.That is Tran The Vong.

In 1998, Vong and the Gia Lai team participated in the National Children's Football Tournament and set the stadium ablaze. They called him Michael Owen, the English prodigy who was then incredibly popular after scoring a stunning goal against Argentina in the World Cup.

Like Owen, Vọng had the feet of a whirlwind and a mischievous face. When Vọng dribbled the ball, it felt as if the stands fell silent, only for the play to always end in cheers. For the first time, a children's tournament attracted as much public attention as national team matches. And for the first time, when the tournament ended, people only remembered... the runner-up team, forgetting the champion. Because that runner-up team was Gia Lai, where Thế Vọng played. After the tournament, newspapers flocked to the mountain town to search for the prodigy. The public craved news about him; the media labeled him a prodigy, "the future of Vietnamese football."

The Vong (left) during his lifetime. Photo: PLO.

But then, everyone quickly realized with astonishment: The Vong was merely a fake identity of a young man named Nguyen Minh Thanh.

Because they wanted Minh Thanh to compete and bring achievements to Gia Lai, they used magic to transform him into someone else. Then, when he played exceptionally well and became the center of attention, those same adults removed him from the team for fear of the truth being discovered.

The Vong later dropped out of school, had to work as a truck driver's assistant, and became addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. Thanks to a dedicated group of reporters, Vong was accepted into the youth team of HAGL at Ham Rong. But before people could see The Vong's return, he passed away on the afternoon of November 26, 2005, in a traffic accident. His tombstone bears his real name, Nguyen Minh Thanh, with the name "The Vong" in parentheses.

The name Tran The Vong is beautiful, but it carries a tragic fate. He passed away at the young age of 20, but the echoes he left behind from that tournament still linger, a reminder of how adults can destroy a child. Tran The Vong, therefore, is like an echo in this world!

And what about Cong Phuong? He's still... the same, still the same player who loves dribbling the ball.He still produces explosive moments with the ball at his feet, if the opponent gives him space to do so. But usually only in friendly matches. When facing strong teams, like Malaysia or Thailand in the recent SEA Games, he disappears. Because, after all these years, Phuong hasn't yet developed the habit of holding his head up when playing.

He still considers dribbling the optimal solution, while for modern players, it's a last resort. When asked about Cong Phuong's performance in the recent match against Afghanistan, former The Cong star Vu Manh Hai used four words to describe it: "banging his head against a wall."

Cong Phuong rose to prominence while playing for the Vietnam U19 team nearly four years ago. Photo: Duc Dong.

The pressure of expectations meant Phuong was never treated like a normal player. Worse still, he increasingly became the target of stories completely unrelated to football. Recently, Phuong was seen tearing up when asked about his ex-girlfriend Hoa Minzy, even though they broke up several years ago. Reporters kept dragging him into the maze of showbiz, while he only wanted to talk about football.

But how could Phuong have the privilege of "only talking about football"? Because from the very beginning, he was a product of publicity stunts. To be precise, he was actually just a victim of a large-scale PR campaign, where his individual footballing ability was transformed into a kind of... saving grace.

In his twenties, Phuong appeared frequently on television and in commercials. He was the inspiration for a football-themed comic book and was drawn into a debate about age fraud. Cong Phuong became a keyword in newspapers, his face appearing on the covers of sports magazines more often than anyone else. However, his abilities were never properly recognized.

Phuong and Vong, two people, two destinies. But they are both victims of adults, in their struggle to live authentically as themselves.

According to VNE