Midfielder Tran Phi Son: The day of his return is not far away!

A new journey, full of ups and downs.

Entering this season, Tran Phi Son decided to leave SLNA and join Ho Chi Minh City FC. At his new club, the player nicknamed "Vietnamese Ronaldo" has faced a number of challenges.

Not only did he have to adapt to a new competitive environment, but the player born in 1992 also had to adapt to different playing positions. At SLNA, Tran Phi Son played in his preferred position as a right winger, but at Ho Chi Minh City FC, coach Miura deployed him as a left winger or an attacking midfielder.

Being a talented player with a professional demeanor, it didn't take long for Tran Phi Son to win the trust of coach Miura and the fans at Thong Nhat Stadium.

In the first three matches of Ho Chi Minh City FC in the 2018 V.League season, Tran Phi Son scored two goals, helping his team defeat Saigon FC (2-1) and Sanna Khanh Hoa (1-0). Unfortunately, in the match against his former team SLNA, the player wearing the number 10 jersey had to leave the field before the end of the first half due to injury.

Bad luck continues to plague Tran Phi Son. After a period of injury recovery, the midfielder born in 1992 was used by coach Miura in the match between Than Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City FC, which took place at Cam Pha Stadium in round 9.

Towards the end of the match, Tran Phi Son was sent off for a reaction foul. In total, Tran Phi Son missed four matches in the 2018 V.League season due to injury and suspensions.

Tran Phi Son is currently in excellent form playing for Ho Chi Minh City FC. Photo: Internet

Nevertheless, the contribution of "Vietnamese Ronaldo" to the team at Thong Nhat Stadium cannot be underestimated. In 19 appearances, Tran Phi Son directly contributed to 16 out of 36 goals for Ho Chi Minh City FC (6 goals, 10 assists), equivalent to nearly 45% of the team's total goals.

Currently, Tran Phi Son is only one assist behind the leader in the list of players with the most assists in V.League 2018 - Nghiem Xuan Tu (the Than Quang Ninh midfielder has 11 assists).

Thanks to Tran Phi Son's contributions, Ho Chi Minh City FC is rapidly moving out of the "danger zone". For the player from Ha Tinh province, the day he returns to the Vietnamese national team is drawing closer. For the past two years, Tran Phi Son has continuously harbored the hope of wearing the national team jersey.

To earn that honor, the midfielder wearing the number 10 jersey needs to prove himself even more, and only then might he catch the eye of coach Park Hang Seo.

The arduous journey to the national team.

Currently, Vietnamese football boasts a host of talented midfielders. The number of wingers and attacking midfielders alone exceeds a dozen.

Just to name a few, there are Phan Văn Đức (SLNA), Nguyễn Văn Toàn, Nguyễn Công Phượng, Nguyễn Phong Hồng Duy (HAGL), Nguyễn Văn Quyết, Nguyễn Quang Hải (Hanoi FC), Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng, Vũ Minh Tuấn (FLC Thanh Hóa), ​​Võ Huy Toàn (SHB Đà Nẵng)… Clearly, the competition for a spot on the national team is extremely fierce.

To be included in the squad for the 2018 AFF Cup, Tran Phi Son needs to catch the eye of coach Park Hang Seo. In terms of skill level, the player currently under contract with Ho Chi Minh City FC is in no way inferior to any domestic midfielder in the V.League.

Unfortunately for Tran Phi Son, since the 2016 AFF Cup, he has been absent from all subsequent call-ups to the Vietnamese national team (twice under coach Mai Duc Chung, once under coach Park Hang Seo). The possibility of being "left out" again is quite high for the player from Ha Tinh.

Two years have passed, and Tran Phi Son has yet to return to the Vietnamese national team. Photo: Internet

It would be no surprise if coach Park Hang Seo continues to use the Vietnam U23 team as the core for the Vietnam national team in the 2018 AFF Cup. Simply put, players like Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Cong Phuong, and Nguyen Van Toan are constantly improving, and coach Park Hang Seo knows them inside and out.

Therefore, in the upcoming training camp, it will be very difficult for players who have never been called up by Coach Park to have the honor of wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey.

Of course, the door to the national team is not completely closed for Tran Phi Son. Because Coach Park Hang Seo is not the type of coach who selects personnel based on emotion. Certainly, Tran Phi Son's performances, as well as those of other players in the V.League, National First Division, National Cup, etc., are all under the watchful eye of the South Korean strategist.

Missing out on talent is extremely rare for a coach who prioritizes meticulousness and objectivity like Coach Park Hang Seo. Just look at the cases of Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh to see this clearly.

Experts and fans in Nghe An province are hoping that Tran Phi Son will perform excellently in the final rounds of the 2018 V.League. Thanks to this, his club – Ho Chi Minh City FC – will successfully avoid relegation, and the "Vietnamese Ronaldo" will catch the eye of coach Park Hang Seo.

Two years away from the national team is too long for a talented player like Tran Phi Son.