Tu Huu Phuoc - from a billion-dollar central defender to a street robber
The man who was once compared by Hai Phong fans to Manchester United's central defender Nemanja Vidic has taken a long step down in life.
The search warrant for Tu Huu Phuoc from March 2018 by Nha Trang City Police suddenly made the former U23 Vietnam and 2010 Vietnam Olympic defender famous. He was accused of being involved in a robbery in the coastal city.
According to the investigation agency's document, Tu Huu Phuoc was identified as the driver who carried his accomplices to rob a Chinese tourist's handbag in January 2018. Huu Phuoc escaped but his companion was arrested.
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| Tu Huu Phuoc in an announcement on the Nha Trang City Crime Prevention Club website. |
Up to now, Nha Trang city police are still searching for Phuoc’s whereabouts to serve the investigation. Tu Huu Phuoc was once a “steel” center back of Vietnamese football under Austrian coach Alfred Riedl.
Billionaire central defender compared to Vidic
Flipping through the pages introducing Tu Huu Phuoc when he joined Hai Phong Club in 2011, it is easy to see the compliments that the fans of the port city gave to the central defender from Khanh Hoa. They compared him to Nemanja Vidic, and it was not wrong.
The shaved head, angular face and energetic playing style are the points that fans compare. It is understandable because at that time Huu Phuoc was one of the young central defenders, only 24 years old. His reputation rose after he and U23 Vietnam attended the 16th ASIAD in China.
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| Tu Huu Phuoc (number 15) is in the same generation as Anh Duc (number 18), Tan Truong (25), Thanh Luong (number 8) or Dinh Thanh Trung (number 23) in the squad attending ASIAD 2010. |
Playing in all 3 matches at ASIAD 2010, Huu Phuoc proved that his ability was not misjudged by coach Calisto Henrique. U23 Vietnam was eliminated from the group stage after 2 losses and 1 win, but for Phuoc personally, it was a success.
More than 3 billion is the price that Hai Phong Club paid for a player who had just reached his prime. This was also the time when the value of players was being "inflated" to an unbelievable level after the 2008 AFF Championship..
Holding a monthly salary of 30 million, not counting bonuses, Huu Phuoc thought about how to spend the money. In the first season, he played 18 matches for the team of the red phoenix flower city and left positive impressions.
But in the 2012 season, he had to quickly leave after 5 matches because of conflicts with coach Le Thuy Hai. The real reason was not fully understood until he joined Quang Nam Club in the second phase.
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| After AFF 2008, player prices were significantly "inflated", many players had transfer fees of nearly ten billion. When returning to Hai Phong, Tu Huu Phuoc received a signing bonus of more than 3 billion and a salary of 30 million/month... |
Leaving Hai Phong, Tu Huu Phuoc only needed 2 months to be “kicked out” by Quang Nam. The press at that time reported that the former U23 Vietnam midfielder had an undisciplined and disorderly lifestyle, especially after Euro 2012.
In just over a season, from a signing bonus of over 3 billion VND in Hai Phong, Phuoc only took 500 million VND to return to Quang Nam for 2 months (April-June 2012), the ending could not be more bitter for the player from Khanh Hoa. The money he earned during that time was also gone.
Since then, there has been no news about goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong's former teammates, Dinh Thanh Trung, Pham Thanh Luong or Nguyen Anh Duc. Five years has been the missing period of the once promising central defender.
On his personal page, Huu Phuoc often shares angry and resentful statuses. Meanwhile, his fellow players from the 2010 ASIAD still pursue their “shorts and jersey” careers, playing every week.
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| Many players who do not know how to spend money have ruined their careers. |
Vinh Thanh Commune Police (Khanh Hoa) confirmed that Tu Huu Phuoc was involved in drugs. That was the shortest path leading this former player to the law. Nha Trang City Police are searching for Phuoc's whereabouts because he has left the area.