U11 SLNA wins championship: First achievement of former U16 Vietnam goalkeeper

Thanh Hung• October 31, 2020 15:00

(Baonghean.vn) - The championship of U11 SLNA at the 2020 National Children's Football Tournament is the first achievement of coach Pham Duc Anh.

When mentioning Pham Duc Anh, most experts and fans find it very familiar. Because in the past, Pham Duc Anh was the former goalkeeper of U16 Vietnam at the 2000 U16 Asian Cup, a tournament in which U16 Vietnam, with the core of players from the academy,SLNA, under the leadership of coach Nguyen Van Thinh, excellently won 4th place overall.

HLV trưởng Phạm Đức Anh (bên phải) và HLV phó Đặng Văn Tường. Ảnh: Bá Tuấn
Head coach Pham Duc Anh (right) and assistant coach Dang Van Tuong. Photo: Ba Tuan
Unfortunately, after the glory at the 2000 AFC U16 Championship, Pham Duc Anh's football career was not very smooth. Serious injuries were the main reason why the former goalkeeper born in 1983 often had to leave the field or "wear out his pants on the bench". The former goalkeeper of Vietnam U16 was even unemployed for 2 years (2014 - 2015) because no team recruited him.

Saying goodbye to the football field at the age of 34 in the Tay Ninh First Division team, Pham Duc Anh decided to pursue a career in training young players. After a long period of studying and training at community football centers in Vinh city, Pham Duc Anh was accepted by the SLNA training center. A worthy reward for the tireless efforts of the former goalkeeper from Thai Hoa town.

In the past time, in the position of assistant coach, Pham Duc Anh has contributed a lot to the overall achievements of SLNA youth teams, typically the 2 championships of U11 SLNA in 2018 and 2019. Thanks to that, Pham Duc Anh was trusted by SLNA's Board of Directors to be assigned the position of "captain" ofU11 SLNAat the 2020 National Children's Football Tournament. This is the first time Pham Duc Anh has played the role of "leading the charge" at an official tournament.

Các thành viên U11 SLNA và người hâm mộ chụp ảnh lưu niệm. Ảnh: Bá Tuấn
U11 SLNA members and fans take souvenir photos. Photo: Ba Tuan
Not disappointing the expectations of the SLNA Board of Directors and Nghe An football fans, U11 SLNA has excellently won the championship, with 6 absolute victories. Witnessing the beautiful and equally effective playing style of the young players from SLNA academy, it is enough to see the merit ofHead coach Pham Duc Anhand how big the associates are. Remember, shaping the playing style of young players is no easy task.

That does not mean that the success of U11 SLNA at the 2020 National Children's Football Tournament was solely due to head coach Pham Duc Anh. Objectively, the contributions of team leader Nguyen Ngoc Anh and the three assistant coaches Phan Tien Hoai, Dang Van Tuong, and Ho Viet Ha are enormous. In addition, it is impossible not to mention the talent and efforts of Bui Ngo Bao Nam and his teammates.

Hopefully, the championship atNational Children's Football Tournament 2020will be a springboard to help Pham Duc Anh reap more success as a teacher, making up for the disappointments during his playing days./.


Thanh Hung