Former striker Le Van Cong: From SLNA's talent to an elevator installer

Thanh Hung• DNUM_BFZAFZCACA 08:44

(Baonghean.vn) - Surely many SLNA fans no longer remember or do not know, Le Van Cong was the "hero" of U17 SLNA at the National U17 Finals in 2009, nearly 11 years ago.

Young and talented

Possessing a rather "strange" left foot, Le Van Cong used to play prominently in the youth teams of SLNA. In addition to his basic technical foundation, the striker born in 1992 is also very agile, intelligent in running and finishing. During his time at SLNA, Le Van Cong was in the same generation as Ho Khac Ngoc, Tran Phi Son, Le Van Hung...

The first tournament that brought Le Van Cong "to the light" was the National U17 Finals in 2009. Arranged by coach Nguyen Van Tien to play in the highest position on the attack line, alongside teammate Nguyen Phung Que, the striker from Tan Ky played very impressively, contributing significantly to the championship achievement of the young team from Nghe An.

Lê Văn Công (số 9) trong màu áo U17 SLNA. Ảnh: FBNV
Le Van Cong (number 9) in SLNA U17 shirt. Photo: FBNV
The final match against U17 Dong Thap was Le Van Cong's best performance at the tournament held at Thien Truong Stadium (Nam Dinh). In the 85th minute of the match between U17 SLNA and U17 Dong Thap, receiving a long pass from Ho Khac Ngoc, Le Van Cong rushed forward like an arrow, unleashing a tricky shot that broke the opponent's net.

Le Van Cong's "golden" goal helped SLNA U17 successfully defend the championship title. This is SLNA's 6th consecutive championship in the playground for the 17-year-old group. Don't forget, before Le Van Cong scored the only goal of the match, coach Nguyen Van Tien's team had to play with one less player from the 68th minute, after Nguyen Phung Que received a red card (2 yellow cards).

Objectively speaking, Le Van Cong's starting point was not inferior to his teammates of the same age such as Ho Khac Ngoc, Tran Phi Son... But unfortunately, the striker nicknamed Cong "chicken" could not become a "star", or even a true professional player. Various injuries ruined the football career of the striker from Tan Ky.

The difficult journey

Returning from the National U17 Finals in 2009, Le Van Cong was considered one of the most promising talents of the SLNA academy at that time. Thanks to continuing to play impressively for U19 SLNA, U21 SLNA, U21 Vietnam selection and Second Division teams (on loan), at the end of 2010, Le Van Cong was promoted to the first team by former coach Nguyen Huu Thang to prepare for the new season. A worthy reward for the talent and efforts of the striker born in 1992.

Lê Văn Công (trắng) trong màu áo Bình Thuận. Ảnh: FBNV
Le Van Cong (white) in Binh Thuan shirt. Photo: FBNV
"The joy is short-lived", after only a few training sessions, Le Van Cong suffered a relapse of his injury. With the pain in his knee, the player from Tan Ky had to "sit and watch" for nearly a year. It was thought that the impressive performances at the 2011 National U21 Finals would help Le Van Cong have his first season competing in the V.League with his hometown team. However, it was all disappointment. Once again, the pain in his knee "harmed" Le Van Cong.

After winning the National U21 Championship with U21 SLNA in 2012, Cong "chicken" expressed his wish to leave freely to the Board of Directors of the Nghe An team and was approved. During the period 2013 - 2016, Le Van Cong played for the Second Division teams Dak Lak, Kon Tum and Binh Thuan (2 seasons).

At the end of the 2016 season, the former SLNA striker decided to retire from football. Recently, Le Van Cong has been working for an elevator installation company in Hanoi. Occasionally, fans see Cong "chicken" appear in amateur tournaments in Hanoi.

So, the dream of wearing the hometown team's jersey to compete in the V.League arena has never come true for the former striker, who is only 28 years old this year. Witnessing the successes on the field of Ho Khac Ngoc and Tran Phi Son, Nghe An football fans cannot help but feel sad when remembering Le Van Cong./.

Thanh Hung