Striker Vu Quang Nam: The man who broke SLNA's 'curse'

Double "Best Player of the Tournament" and "Top Scorer"

Vu Quang Nam was born in 1992 in Son Hai (Quynh Luu), joined SLNA with the generation of Nguyen Manh, Hoang Thinh, Khac Ngoc... After the successes with the U17, U19 SLNA teams, many of the above players were promoted to SLNA's first team right from the beginning of the 2012 V.League season. However, Quang Nam missed the appointment because he was assigned to play for Thua Thien Hue in the First Division.

It was not until he returned and participated in the 2012 National U21 Finals, played brilliantly and helped the young Nghe An team win the championship for the 4th time after 10 years of waiting, that Vu Quang Nam rekindled his hope of wearing the SLNA shirt to compete in the V.League.

At the finals that year, with a convincing performance and 5 goals, Quang Nam won the double "Best Player of the Tournament" and "Top Scorer". The number 1 striker of U21 SLNA also won an official spot in the Vietnam U21 team to compete in the 2012 Thanh Nien Newspaper International U21 Tournament.

Striker Vu Quang Nam in the U21 SLNA jersey. Photo: Duc Dong

Quang Nam's maturity in the context of Nghe An's lack of strikers makes fans, especially SLNA's coaching staff, believe that the striker born in 1992 will be a reasonable choice for the first team's attack next year. After the generation of Van Quyen and Cong Vinh, there are few strikers with an ideal physique (1m80) who play in a modern style like Quang Nam.

Out of the field due to injury

However, persistent injuries have forced the striker from Quynh Luu to consider retirement. In fact, injuries have followed Quang Nam since he was 18 years old. At that time, having just finished playing in the National U19 tournament in Phu Tho, Quang Nam was sent by the club to Quang Ngai to participate in the Second Division tournament on loan. After playing a few matches, he tore his ligament and had to rest for a whole year.

Before V.League 2013, Quang Nam was called up for a trial by coach Nguyen Huu Thang. After practicing for a while, right at the Thanh - Nghe training tournament, his knee hurt again. The doctor diagnosed him with a patellar cartilage injury.

Striker Vu Quang Nam was once a great hope for SLNA. Photo: Duc Dong

After returning to SLNA for a few months of rehabilitation, Quang Nam’s knee still hurt. He had to go to the doctor, get stem cell injections, and seek various treatments. One of them was an operation at the 108 Military Hospital. The last time, he sent the procedure to Singapore for evaluation. But because the cost was too high, Quang Nam and his family had to give up the idea.

As a last resort, SLNA was forced to terminate the contract with Quang Nam. During those days, he turned to amateur football to satisfy his passion. For 3 years, Quang Nam was away from the field due to injury, no one believed that one day he could return.

Striker Vu Quang Nam and the SLNA stars of that day. Photo: Duc Dong

Breaking the "curse"

In SLNA, people pass on a "curse": if a young player receives the title of best player in the U21 tournament, that player will have a not-so-bright future, some will get injured, some will retire early. It is truly a scary "curse", because before Quang Nam, Ha Mai Giang, Phan Thanh Hoan, Nguyen Dinh Hiep, Nguyen Thanh Long Giang... all "bloomed early and withered quickly".

Then in the 2016 First Division season, playing for Phu Yen Club, Vu Quang Nam officially returned to the field after more than 3 years of absence. At that time, the striker from Quynh Luu had not yet fully recovered 100%, but when his legs showed signs of recovery and he no longer felt pain, Quang Nam decided to take the risk to pursue his passion.

While his teammates had become famous in the SLNA first team, many of whom were called up to the national team, Quang Nam struggled in the First Division. It was not until V.League 2017, when Ho Chi Minh City Club was promoted and his compatriot Le Cong Vinh became the president, that he was brought to the team.

Striker Vu Quang Nam is playing for Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Trung Kien

This season, Ho Chi Minh City FC is soaring on the rankings and is a championship candidate, second only to Hanoi FC. Quang Nam personally has 18 matches for Ho Chi Minh City FC and in the match against Thanh Hoa, he scored his first goal in V.League 2019. In the recent round 21, Quang Nam had a superb free kick against Than Quang Ninh, helping his team win 3-0.

It can be said that the injury took away too many opportunities from Quang Nam, but more or less, the magic of football and passion helped him make an impressive comeback. If only that day, VPF had insurance for players, Quang Nam's family or SLNA Club had enough money to send him abroad for surgery, perhaps Quang Nam would have been a great player of Vietnamese football./.

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