Former midfielder Nguyen Van Vinh: The silent warrior of Nghe An football

Thanh Hung May 6, 2020 10:49

(Baonghean.vn) - Although not the most prominent "star" on the field, the player from Hung Nguyen is always one of the most important "links" of the whole team. That is why people call Nguyen Van Vinh a silent warrior.

Rough start

"Stepping into the light" from the 2000 AFC U16 Championship, with Pham Van Quyen, Phan Nhu Thuat, Nguyen Minh Duc... At that time, Nguyen Van Vinh played as a full-back in the Vietnam U16 team and proved his ability. However, compared to his teammates, the former player born in 1984 played more quietly, although he contributed a lot to the success of the team led by coach Nguyen Van Thinh.

Nguyen Van Vinh (number 15) in the Vietnam U16 team in 2000. Photo: TT&VH

More than 2 years after the resounding victory at Chi Lang Stadium of U16 Vietnam, Nguyen Van Vinh was promoted by SLNA to the first team (late 2002). However, at that time, in the lineup of the Nghe An team, every position had at least 1 excellent face. It is not difficult to understand why a young player like Nguyen Van Vinh often had to "wear out his pants" on the bench. Even in the 2004 season and the second phase of the 2006 season, Nguyen Van Vinh had to move to the North to play for Hoa Phat Ha Noi, on loan.

Important turning point


Nguyễn Văn Vinh (số 15) trong đội hình U16 Việt Nam năm 2000. Ảnh: TT&VH

Nguyen Van Vinh (blue shirt) when he was playing for Hoa Phat Hanoi. Photo: Football

Realizing that his chances at his hometown team were quite slim, at the end of the 2007 season, Nguyen Van Vinh decided to leave Vinh Stadium to join the young Hoa Phat Ha Noi team (established in late 2003). According to Nguyen Van Vinh, this was a reasonable decision, a turning point in his football career. At Hang Day Stadium, Nguyen Van Vinh completely "transformed", both in terms of playing style and fighting spirit. There was a very different Nguyen Van Vinh - strong, brave and equally intelligent.

Arranged to play in the central midfielder position, the former U16 Vietnam player shone brightly in the role of a midfield boss. From ball disputes, defending from afar, keeping the rhythm of the match, creating goals for teammates to directly scoring goals, Nguyen Van Vinh completed all tasks in an amazing way. In particular, the former player from Hung Nguyen also showed his sharpness through direct free kicks with high accuracy. At that time, Nguyen Van Vinh and Dinh Thanh Trung (currently playing for Quang Nam) were the two free kick specialists of the capital team.

In addition to his pure professional values, Nguyen Van Vinh also plays the role of "leader" very well, thanks to his upright and enthusiastic nature. Many times, the former SLNA player was assigned by the Hoa Phat Hanoi Coaching Board to take on the role of team captain. Something that Nguyen Van Vinh had never demonstrated when he was wearing the Nghe An football team's jersey, where many famous "stars" and "leaders" such as Pham Van Quyen, Nguyen Huy Hoang... Indeed, the time wearing the Hoa Phat Hanoi jersey and the Hanoi Football Club - the new name after the Hoa Phat Group withdrew (2008 - 2012) helped Nguyen Van Vinh grow up remarkably.


And the open ending


Nguyễn Văn Vinh trong màu áo SLNA. Ảnh tư liệu
Nguyen Van Vinh in SLNA shirt. Photo: Document

After 5 years with the Hang Day Stadium team, Quang Nam is the next destination for Nguyen Van Vinh. At the beginning of the 2013 season, the former U16 Vietnam player joined the Quang Nam team to compete in the First Division. Despite facing many difficulties due to injuries, Nguyen Van Vinh still contributed greatly to helping Quang Nam win a promotion ticket. The reward for the former SLNA player is a place to participate in the 2014 season, the season in which Quang Nam was a rookie of the V.League. 19 appearances (7 starts) are what Nguyen Van Vinh has achieved in the 2014 V.League, wearing the Quang Nam shirt.

After 7 seasons playing for Hoa Phat Ha Noi, Ha Noi Football Club and Quang Nam (2008 - 2014), Nguyen Van Vinh "reunited" with SLNA at the beginning of the 2015 season. In the last 3 seasons of his playing career, the former midfielder from Hung Nguyen was often used by coach Ngo Quang Truong and former coach Nguyen Duc Thang. According to statistics, in 3 seasons playing for SLNA, Nguyen Van Vinh played 44 times and scored 3 goals. After winning the 2017 National Cup with the Nghe An team, Nguyen Van Vinh also said goodbye to his "shorts and jersey" career.

Perhaps for many people, the fact that Nguyen Van Vinh has not been called up to the U23 Vietnam team and the Vietnam National Team is a great pity, because there were times when the former midfielder of SLNA, Hoa Phat Ha Noi and Quang Nam played very impressively. Currently, the 36-year-old former player is the head coach of the U15 SLNA team, the host team of the 2020 National U15 Finals. Hopefully, he will achieve many successes in his new position./.


Thanh Hung