Striker Ho Tuan Tai and the mission of 'carrying' SLNA in V.League 2020
(Baonghean.vn) - After years of struggling with injuries and regaining his own class, now at the age of 25, Ho Tuan Tai is entering the prime of his career. In the SLNA shirt, none other than the striker born in 1995 is the biggest hope.
Joining SLNA quite early thanks to the introduction of his cousin Pham Van Quyen and not through the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament like many other players, Ho Tuan Tai is considered the most promising young talent of the Nghe An team in recent years.
This player is expected to be the real number 10 of SLNA, which is completely reasonable. Because at the age of 16, the striker born in 1995 made a strong impression when he became the first player to score 4 goals in a match at the National U17 Finals and won the title of "Top scorer".
| One of Tuan Tai's goals when he was young. Video: VTV |
Also in this tournament a year later, Tuan Tai continued to be the player with the most goals with 5 goals in the U17 SLNA shirt, helping the Nghe An team win the championship. In 2014 at the National U19 Finals, Tuan Tai continued to shine and defended this title, while SL Nghe An won the runner-up position after losing to Hanoi on penalties.
With remarkable progress and showing the qualities of an innate talent, Tuan Tai caught the eye of coach Graechen Guillaume. Just before leaving for Brunei to participate in the U22 Southeast Asian tournament in 2014, Tuan Tai was called up to join the U19 Vietnam team.
That was the tournament where Tuan Tai played alongside Cong Phuong and Xuan Truong and played extremely impressively. With his speedy playing style and excellent finishing ability, he scored 5 goals, just 1 goal short of becoming the top scorer of the tournament.
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| Among the young SLNA players, Ho Tuan Tai is the most experienced player. Photo: Duc Anh |
Having dominated youth tournaments, in 2015, Tuan Tai debuted in the V.League. He played 12 matches but only scored 1 goal. In 2016, despite having to compete with foreign players for starting opportunities, Tuan Tai still had 5 goals in 17 matches.
Tuan Tai’s most forgettable achievement was in 2017. He only scored 1 goal in V.League and played only 8 matches. However, coming to SEA Games 29, Tuan Tai is expected to shine in the U22 Vietnam attack.
In the summer of 2017 in Malaysia, in the match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Indonesia at the 29th SEA Games, Tuan Tai missed unfortunate opportunities that indirectly caused coach Huu Thang and his team to be eliminated from the group stage.
At that time, if Tuan Tai's close-range shot had not hit the crossbar, perhaps he and Phi Minh Long would not have received harsh criticism from fans and their later careers would have been smoother and less troubled.
Returning to V.League 2018, Ho Tuan Tai still plays under tremendous pressure due to the pain and sadness left over from the SEA Games. Injuries plagued him, his mentality was unstable and the young SLNA talent only scored 2 goals in 18 matches given the chance.
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| Ho Tuan Tai has a good scoring efficiency in V.League 2019. Photo: Xuan Thuy |
However, 2018 was a time when the SLNA striker gradually forgot the scars of the past, gradually regaining his confidence thanks to playing quite a lot in the AFC Cup, V.League as well as the National Cup.
For nearly 2 years, Tuan Tai has been “closed” to the media and diligently lost weight through training. While his peers such as Duc Chinh, Xuan Truong, and Cong Phuong have all achieved great success, Tuan Tai overcame the low points in his career by staying silent and letting his legs “speak”.
After 4 seasons playing in V.League, Tuan Tai had the most impressive season in 2019. After 15 matches for Song Lam Nghe An in 2019, player number 10 brought home 9 goals, achieving an efficiency of 0.6 goals/match - a dream number for every striker.
However, Tuan Tai's efforts were not enough to conquer coach Park Hang-seo during the training sessions to prepare for the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Entering the 2020 season, that will be Tuan Tai's undisguised goal, he shared: "In 2020, I hope to not get injured and try to play well to return to the national team."
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| Ho Tuan Tai has the potential to become the "Domestic top scorer" in V.League 2020. Photo: Duc Anh |
This season, the seniors have left one by one to find new destinations, Tuan Tai - Van Duc will be the pillars to carry the SLNA team. Remember that the 9 goals scored last season were scored in the context of him having to play in a position that was not his forte (winger).
Leaving the past behind, Tuan Tai is becoming a dangerous striker for SLNA since the friendly matches before V.League 2020. The runs and finishing moves are still the same as when he was 17 years old, but at a different level, a different playing field.
Tuan Tai's baggage at the age of 25 is valuable lessons and a strong desire to return. Besides that, there is also the responsibility of a mature player.
Coach Huu Thang witnessed Ho Tuan Tai score against Ho Chi Minh City Club.
(Baonghean.vn) - In the match at Vinh Stadium between Song Lam Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City in round 22 of V.League, the visiting team's president, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang, was present in the stands and witnessed the high performance of his former student Ho Tuan Tai.
