Center back Que Ngoc Hai: When the tears stop falling

Perfecting the gameplay

After the unfortunate 2-2 draw at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Que Ngoc Hai shared: “I would like to thank the Vietnamese fans who came to the stadium to cheer for us during this difficult away trip. In return, we promise to bring complete joy to our home fans.”

Que Ngoc Hai demonstrates his courage and high expertise. Photo: Trung Kien

Not only showing his alertness in playing, Que Ngoc Hai is now more mature in his behavior with the media. The way Hai uses the press to convey the team's message to the fans has made many people feel that he has truly matured.

Just saying good things is not enough. On the field, Hai was unexpectedly given the captain's armband by coach Park Hang-seo and he did not disappoint the Korean strategist. As captain, Hai played with more concentration and responsibility. The armband transformed a defender who usually played with strength and aggression into a softer and more thoughtful one.

Hai still has the necessary strong fights, however, at the AFF Cup 2018, the audience rarely saw the Nghe An central defender make unnecessary fouls.

In the first leg of the semi-final against the Philippines, many people thought that the mistake that led to the loss was due to his inappropriate positioning. However, an impartial analysis shows that it was completely a systematic error of the defense, including Duy Manh, Dinh Trong, Van Hau, and even Trong Hoang, because they were too busy attacking.

A captain who knows how to behave

The defense of the Vietnam national team at the AFF Cup 2018 has almost no weaknesses. The central defender trio Ngoc Hai - Duy Manh - Dinh Trong is the key factor that helps the Vietnam national team stand firm against all difficulties. Ngoc Hai is always the one who shows the influence of a senior. He constantly shouts at his teammates to focus on attacking and defending in a rhythmic manner.

When his teammates and coaching staff rushed to celebrate the second Southeast Asian championship, Que Ngoc Hai approached Van Quyet with the desire to give back the captain's armband to his senior. A beautiful and delicate action from the central defender from Dien Chau. Van Quyet may not be in good form at the moment, however, to the players in the Vietnam national team, Van Quyet is still an exemplary senior.

Before that, after the semi-final match with the Philippines at My Dinh Stadium, an overzealous fan rushed onto the field to celebrate Vietnam’s achievement of reaching the final. The captain of the Vietnam team stepped forward and protected the fan when he was escorted off the field by security. The warm hug between the captain and a special fan turned out to be the most beautiful image at My Dinh that day.

Winning the championship, Que Ngoc Hai had a surprising action with captain Van Quyet. Photo: Internet

Tears have stopped falling

Although he is a strong central defender on the field, Que Ngoc Hai is often easily swayed by emotions.

In 2015, after U23 Vietnam lost to U23 Myanmar in the semi-final of SEA Gamer 28, Que Ngoc Hai collapsed on the field because he couldn't believe what had happened. A strong man sat down, clenched his fists, looked up to the sky and screamed so loudly that his heart was broken.

The AFF Cup took place 1 year later, and once again people saw Hai crying.

Que Ngoc Hai - Tears have stopped falling. Photo: Trung Kien

The Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2016 failed to reach the final after losing to Indonesia with a total score of 4-3 after the first and second leg finals. In that match, Ngoc Hai even had to play the role of an emergency goalkeeper when Nguyen Manh was sent off. The defeat was bitter with an unexpected scenario. The image of Ngoc Hai putting on gloves as a goalkeeper touched all the fans that year.

“This will be the last time I cry. After 3 semi-finals in 3 years, I have run out of tears,” Ngoc Hai shared tearfully after being eliminated in the semi-finals of the AFF Cup 2016.

When a man cries, he will cry until he has no more tears, otherwise, the tears will flow back inside to gnaw at his sadness.

Hai often could not hold back his emotions, the tears that flowed turned out to make a man become much stronger and more mature over time.

On the evening of My Dinh on December 15, 2018, in the overwhelming joy and emotion after the victory, the captain of the Vietnamese national team only struggled to share the joy with his teammates but there was absolutely not a single tear.

Honestly, if Hai cried for joy, people would understand. Hai had gone through too many bitter failures and even if he promised never to cry again, what would it matter if those tears were for victory.