When Cong Phuong wants to "go abroad"

"Saint Pen" at HAGL

This season, Nguyen Cong Phuong has scored 12 goals for the mountain town team in V.League 2018. Putting those 12 goals next to his scoring record in V.League 2017 (7 goals), it can be affirmed that the striker from Do Luong (Nghe An) has made visible progress, at least in his goal-scoring role.

Cong Phuong has become more and more mature since V.League 2015. Photo: VPF

However, Cong Phuong has not yet completely overcome the shortcomings in his playing style to become a true assassin. His playing style is full of dribbling and individualism, and the player born in 1995 has not improved much in his finishing ability. Because 4/11 of Nguyen Cong Phuong's goals came from penalties. That means the number of goals from open play only accounts for more than 60%.

"Killer" 80+ minutes

At the AFF Cup 2018, Cong Phuong, although not a starter, was an extremely important factor for coach Park Hang-seo every time he was put on the field. With the Vietnam national team winning the championship, Cong Phuong scored 3 goals thanks to being put on the field at decisive moments of the match. According to statistics, along with Cong Phuong, Quang Hai is the player who scored the most goals since coach Park Hang-seo directly took over the task with the Vietnam Football Federation.

Cong Phuong at Asiad. Photo: Tuan Mark

Statistics show that Cong Phuong scored 3 times at SEA Games 2015, 4 times at SEA Games 2017, 8 goals in 2 times participating in the U23 Asia qualifiers 2016 and 2018. However, he has never won absolute trust in the striker position. It was not until the Vietnam team participated in the Asian Cup, Van Quyet and Anh Duc were absent, that he was assigned to play as a center forward.

"The dwarf" plays center forward

Cong Phuong had a successful tournament at the 2019 Asian Cup with the Vietnamese team. The striker wearing the number 10 shirt played the role of a striker, scoring 2 of the 4 goals for Park Hang-seo’s team. Under Park Hang-seo, Cong Phuong no longer focused on dribbling, even causing a lot of trouble for the “European” Japanese defense.

Cong Phuong with a beautiful goal thanks to a pass from Trong Hoang. Photo: AFC

At the end of 2018, Cong Phuong has also grown up and the sharing: "Goodbye youth tournaments, I have to grow up" is enough to express the thoughts and heart of this player. More than ever, now Cong Phuong wants a new destination.

Previously, few people believed that with such a small body and complicated playing style, Cong Phuong could still play well in the center forward position. The biggest mark was the goal against Jordan from a lightning-fast penetration.

And the desire to "escape"

If in 2015, Cong Phuong went to Mito Hollyhock (Japan) on loan and returned to play the 4th season for HAGL, recently, Cong Phuong suddenly expressed his desire to return to Japan to play confidently.

“I really want to return to Japan to compete. My wish is to compete there next year, but whether I can or not is not up to me to decide,” Cong Phuong shared with the media of both Vietnam and Japan. The message he sent was very clear and confident.

Cong Phuong wants to leave HAGL. Photo: Trung Kien

After the 0-1 defeat to Japan in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, Cong Phuong shared with the Arab newspaper Kooora, he once again said: "I always dream of one day being able to play professional football in Europe. But it is not easy to realize that dream because of the characteristics of Vietnamese clubs. Some European clubs have contacted me, but my team has refused. I hope that in the future there will be changes and I can realize my dream. I want to improve more and more and join the Vietnamese team in the World Cup finals."

Those messages are like the aspirations of a player who has grown up and is no longer the “youngster” of Mr. Duc. But HAGL is still the same, they never want their players to leave.

Head of the delegation Nguyen Tan Anh said that currently the team from the mountain town cannot share any information related to the future. Everything will only be decided in the near future. That means the team from the mountain town has no intention of "freeing" Cong Phuong. Because his contract with the HAGL club lasts until he is 28 years old and from now until then is really a very long time.

Currently, Cong Phuong and the faces who have just joined the Vietnam National Team to attend the Asian Cup 2019 such as Xuan Truong, Van Toan... are being sent home to rest. And will regroup with HAGL on Lunar New Year. That is the hope, but who knows when Cong Phuong will be a free player, dreaming of V.League championships or a new height?

Phan Van Duc and Cong Phuong go to Japan to play football?

(Baonghean.vn) - After the 2019 Asian Cup, a series of Vietnamese players, including Phan Van Duc of SLNA, received attention from clubs in Korea and Japan.

Hoai Hoan