Van Quyen first met his father when he was 16 years old.

Living a private life,Van Quyenrarely shares personal stories. However, recently, he unexpectedly participated in atalk show, revealing many hidden corners of his career and personal life. Among the secrets revealed for the first time by the former "Vietnamese football prodigy", the story of his reunion and separation with his father moved many viewers.

Van Quyen's father, Mr. Pham Van Thap, left his mother, Mrs. Ho Thi Niem, when she was pregnant. Therefore, he never knew his father and had no memories of him. Mrs. Niem and her family told Quyen that his father had passed away, so he wrote that in all his documents.

Since childhood, Quyen lived with his grandparents while his mother worked at a construction site far away. Every month, he only saw his mother once when she came home to visit. Later, when he became a young player of SLNA's training center, Quyen occasionally took a bus to visit his mother during his vacation. Relatives of the striker born in 1984 also revealed that his father was still alive, but he had no intention of looking for him.

Van Quyen took his mother to church many years ago.

When Quyen was 16 years old, his father, named Thap, unexpectedly came to SLNA's training ground to meet him. "At that time, I was preparing with SLNA for the 2000 National U16 Finals held in Da Nang. After the training session, my father appeared in front of me and said, "I am your father." At that time, I was very surprised, I couldn't figure out what was going on, and I didn't know if that was my father or not," Van Quyen recalled.

Before parting, Mr. Thap told his son that if he wanted to see his father again, he should come to his aunt and uncle's house near SLNA's training ground that evening. When he returned home, Quyen did not tell his mother or grandfather about this, but instead thought for himself whether he should go see his father or not.

"For 16 years, for me, my mother was both my mother and my father. I had no idea about my father at all. After much hesitation, after bathing and eating, I decided to go see my father. However, when I arrived at my aunt and uncle's house, he was already gone," shared the 2003 Vietnamese Golden Ball.

Unable to meet his father, but after visiting his aunt and uncle's house, Van Quyen learned about his roots. Since then, he occasionally returned to Dien Chau to visit his paternal relatives.

After the 2000 National U16 Finals, Van Quyen accepted a media team's invitation to conduct a program to find his father. He and his mother flew to Ho Chi Minh City, then took a bus to Kien Giang to meet his father.

"When I arrived, my father was preparing lunch. It was the first time I had eaten with him. The meal consisted of only rice, eggs, and vegetable soup, and I sat there for quite a while. On the way to find my father, I also thought a lot, wondering what his situation was like, whether he was happy or miserable. As soon as I stepped into the house, I saw that his living conditions were quite pitiful. My father was just a small construction contractor, having to support his wife and four daughters."

After a while, Quyen did not see his father again. One day, the former Nghe An striker received a call from a relative saying that his father was sick (nasopharyngeal cancer) and wanted to return home for treatment and to be near relatives. He then paid for a car to take his father back home.

However, Quyen did not have many opportunities to meet his father because he had to practice and compete with SLNA. After a practice session, Quyen received a call from his cousin saying that his father was in critical condition and that he should come see him soon.

"On the way back, I just wanted to see my father one last time and he could see his son's face before he closed his eyes. I also wished he could live a little longer so that our father-son relationship could be better. When I arrived, my father was still alive and holding my hand but couldn't say anything because his tongue was stuck deep inside. A moment later, he died but couldn't close his eyes. I tried to close my father's eyes three times but couldn't. After that, I said "I'm sorry dad" and pulled his eyelids down so he could close his eyes," Van Quyet emotionally recounted about his last moments with his father.

Van Quyen is living happily with his wife and two daughters.

Currently, Van Quyen is an assistant at the SLNA U19 team. In 2020, he and his colleague Le Ky Phuong led the Nghe An youth team to win the national U17 championship. The former striker nicknamed "Fat" Quyen is living a happy life with his wife Nguyen Thi Hang and two daughters. After getting married, he also brought his mother from his hometown to Vinh city to take care of her and show his gratitude.

"Now I am a father with two daughters. Outside of work, I try to spend time with, care for, and look after my children. I don't want my children to repeat my previous situation. I want them to understand that no matter what happens in the future, their father will always be there for them," Van Quyen confided.

Pham Van Quyen, born in 1984, is the most regrettable name in the history of Vietnamese football. From being the number one star of the national team, winning the Golden Ball award at the age of 19, the former striker from Nghe An got into trouble with the law for participating in match-fixing at the 2007 SEA Games (sentenced to 2 years of suspended prison) and then his career went downhill.