Famous brothers who once played for Song Lam Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Throughout its history, the Nghe An football team has had players who were related to each other.
The Nguyen brothers
SLNA fans from the 80s generation onwards are largely unfamiliar with central midfielder Nguyen Van Dung, the player who often wore the number 13 jersey for SLNA in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is known that former midfielder Nguyen Van Dung is the older brother of Nguyen Van Tien, also known as Tien "Luc," a player who played as a right winger for SLNA with the number 14 jersey.
According to former coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, before joining SLNA, Nguyen Van Dung was a player for Military Region 4. This midfielder was in the same age group as Vu Quang Bao, the "captain" of Thanh Hoa and XSKT Can Tho last season. Speaking about his favorite pupil, Coach Vinh "Nghe" assessed: "Dung is one of the best central midfielders SLNA has ever had."
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| Coach Nguyen Van Tien (in white shirt). Photo: SLNA FC |
Meanwhile, his younger brother, Nguyen Van Tien, plays as a right winger, renowned for his powerful throw-ins and direct free kicks. Currently, Tien "Luc" is involved in youth development at SLNA and has achieved many prestigious titles (winning the 2009 National U17 Championship as head coach of SLNA's U17 team).
The Van family
Compared to the Nguyen brothers (Nguyen Van Dung and Nguyen Van Tien), the Van brothers are even more famous beyond Nghe An province, with the "legendary trio" of Van Sy Hung, Van Sy Son, and Van Sy Thuy. The contributions of the three Van brothers to SLNA's overall achievements were immense (winning the 2000 National Championship, the 2001 V.League, and the 2002 National Cup...).
Don't forget, two of the three sons of football legend Van Sy Chi, Van Sy Hung and Van Sy Thuy, had the honor of playing for the Vietnamese national team. In particular, striker Van Sy Hung, nicknamed "Little Boy," had a very successful season at the 1997 SEA Games and the 1998 Tiger Cup (the predecessor of the AFF Cup). Vietnamese football fans surely haven't forgotten the moment Van Sy Hung scored a spectacular overhead kick against Indonesia and the delicate, skillful chip shot against Thailand.
Unfortunately, after years of dedication to SLNA, the members of the Van family gradually left Nghe An province to pursue careers elsewhere in different ways. Striker Van Sy Hung joined HAGL (2002), striker Van Sy Thuy retired from playing (2004), left-back Van Sy Son retired from playing for SLNA (2007) and pursued a coaching career in Hanoi. The youngest son, Van Sy Linh, had his contract terminated while he was still part of the youth team.
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| Former striker Van Sy Hung. (Photo courtesy of the archives) |
Currently, Van Sy Hung holds the position of Director of Youth Training at Hanoi FC, Van Sy Thuy and Van Sy Linh hold different positions at the T&T – VSH Football Training Center in Cua Lo town, while Van Sy Son is taking a break after leaving the Hanoi FC coaching staff at the beginning of this season. Witnessing the Van brothers continue to pursue their passion and achieve success in their football careers, fans in Nghe An province are undoubtedly very touched.
The Que brothers
Just like their predecessors from the Nguyen and Van families, center-back Que Ngoc Hai and his older brother Que Ngoc Manh are no longer part of SLNA's roster. While Que Ngoc Hai is in his second season with Viettel, the eldest son of the Que family is playing for the First Division team Ba Ria Vung Tau, on loan from Ho Chi Minh City FC.
Que Ngoc Hai and Que Ngoc Manh are products of the SLNA youth academy and played together for the Nghe An team for several seasons (2013-2014). Compared to his older brother, Que Ngoc Hai's career has been somewhat more successful. During his time with his hometown team, Que Ngoc Hai consistently demonstrated his talent and importance to the team. The 27-year-old central defender played a significant role in SLNA's 2017 National Cup victory.
Not only has Que Ngoc Hai impressed while playing for SLNA, but he has also proven his class as a top-tier central defender for the national teams. His performances at the 2018 AFF Cup are clear evidence of this. Currently, the player born in 1993 is serving as captain of the Vietnamese national team, since the 2019 Asian Cup. A great honor for the Que family.
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| Central defender Que Ngoc Hai. (Photo: Archival image) |
In fact, SLNA is not the only team to have had brothers in their squad. In the past, there have been quite a few teams with similar records, such as Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) with the twins Ronald de Boer and Frank de Boer, or Manchester United (England) with the Neville brothers: Gary Neville and Phil Neville. But the number of such players as SLNA has is truly rare.