Truong Dinh Luat - Vietnam's No. 1 Central Defender

(Baonghean) - The day he left the mountainous district of Quy Hop to go to Vinh to pursue his dream of studying, Truong Dinh Luat thought that he would become an engineer or a civil servant working at a state agency. However, his strange fate with football changed Dinh Luat's direction. From the lecture hall, Dinh Luat stepped onto the field and made his mark. Since then, with his passion and determination, Dinh Luat has proven himself and at present, he is considered the number 1 central defender in Vietnam.

Dinh Luat (white shirt) in the National Team shirt.

There is no vote for the “title” of the best central defender, but with Dinh Luat and two Vietnamese players being called up to the Southeast Asian star squad to play a friendly charity match in early 2014, people naturally consider this central defender from Nghe An to be in the best form in Vietnam at the moment. This is even more valid when, wearing the B.Binh Duong shirt this season, Dinh Luat has set an unprecedented record of playing all the matches, almost all the minutes, and not making a single mistake. Luat’s stable performance has contributed significantly to B.Binh Duong winning the V.League for the third time. From a young man from the countryside carrying his backpack to the city to study, then creating a turning point with the round ball to become a rich player and playing high-class football, Luat makes everyone respect him for his perseverance and hard work.

Born in Quy Hop district, where almost all children have childhood memories of playing soccer, Dinh Luat is no exception. His family was poor, so in addition to herding buffalo, Luat also had to spread nets to catch fish and go fishing during the flood season. Despite his busy studies and work, Luat still took the time he could to play soccer with his friends. However, Luat never thought that one day he would become a professional soccer player. Growing up, when the pressure of studying and taking exams weighed on him, Luat also reduced his interest in soccer. Because his parents gave him a proper education, Luat also determined to persevere and work hard to find a career, to help himself and later repay his parents.

At that time, due to his average academic performance, Luat, having just graduated from high school, packed his bags and went to Ho Chi Minh City with the hope of finding a good job with immediate income to send money back to his family. But for a young man under 20 years old, having to start a career in a foreign land, the challenge was not small. Wandering around many places but not being able to find a stable job, because everywhere people required a degree, Luat decided to return home and study for the university entrance exam. With perseverance and hard work, that year, Dinh Luat passed the entrance exam to Vinh Technical Pedagogical College (now Vinh Technical Pedagogical University).

During his time as a student, Luat actively participated in Union activities, especially football. With a standard physique and talent, Dinh Luat was discovered and joined the school's football team. That year, at the football tournament for university students in the whole province held at Vinh Stadium, Luat and his teammates at Vinh Technical Education College enthusiastically entered the tournament. Overwhelmed when they first stepped into and competed in the "fire pan" of Vinh, but in that year's tournament, Luat left a big impression on the football people of Nghe An.

The story of the 1m80 tall central defender of Vinh Technical College playing football like a professional player made many people talk and accidentally reached the ears of Coach Vu Quang Bao, who was currently the coach of Military Region 4. Very quickly, this coach named Vu found a way to contact and call Luat for a trial. Luat met the requirements and under the guidance of Coach Vu Quang Bao, Luat soon became a pillar of the Military Region 4 First Division team. In 2007, everyone was surprised when Coach A. Riedl called Luat to the national team to prepare for the ASIAD Cup held in Doha.

Wanting to stay with his homeland, but due to changes at the upper level, Military Zone 4 was sold, renamed N.Sai Gon and Luat and his teammates had to move to Ho Chi Minh City. Here, due to the harsh elimination mechanism, many former players of Military Zone 4 could not stay and returned. Luat alone still played steadily and showed his class. Dinh Luat's physique and smart playing style caught the eye of Mr. Thuy, who is famous for being willing to spend. With the goal of making his team a big name in Vietnamese football, Mr. Thuy spent 9 billion VND to get the signature of this central defender after his contract with N.Sai Gon expired.

In a team with many high-class players, Dinh Luat had to compete fiercely for a position and at one time, with his straightforward personality, many people misunderstood him. However, with his own courage, Luat gradually overcame and affirmed his talent. In the all-star team with great names of Mr. Thuy when Xuan Thanh Saigon still existed, Dinh Luat was the captain, receiving great trust from the leaders as well as teammates.

Ho Chi Minh City football team was disbanded but with his talent and experience playing in many big teams, Dinh Luat was still bought by B.Binh Duong for billions. Playing in a team with ambition, Dinh Luat seemed to be revived. He played every match of B.Binh Duong in V.League. More importantly, in the center-back position, Luat played well and is considered the number 1 center-back in Vietnam today. Shining in B.Binh Duong's shirt, Luat was honored to be named in the Southeast Asian stars' squad for a charity friendly. In the typical squad of the 2014 season, Luat was on the list of the national team newly announced by coach Muira.

Vinh Liem