Van Sy Son: As expected of a son of a Van Sy family!

When Sy Son was still playing at “Thanh Vinh Fire Pan” as a fullback, people passed around a story that the grass on the sidelines of Vinh Stadium was bare not because of the sun and Lao wind, but because of Van Sy Son’s tackles. The strength, determination and Nghe quality flowing in the veins of the Van Sy brothers are being demonstrated by the former steel defender in his coaching role.

Former player Van Sy Son was born into a family with the best football tradition in Nghe An. His father - Mr. Van Sy Chi is a former football player of the Vietnam national team as well as the The Cong team, his brother Van Sy Hung and his siblings Van Sy Thuy and Van Sy Linh all played football from a very young age and were famous players at one time.

Together with his two brothers Van Sy Hung and Van Sy Thuy, Van Sy Son created a famous trio of Nghe An football. The left-back was one of the best players under coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, making waves during the 6-year period when SLNA was undefeated at the "Thanh Vinh Fire Pan" (1996 - 2001).

It can be said that Van Sy Son and his brothers have gone through a life and career with many ups and downs. In 1972, Mr. Chi left The Cong to become the coach of Thanh Hoa Police football team, this was also the time when Van Sy Son was born, followed by Van Sy Thuy (born in 1974) and Van Sy Linh (born in 1980). Sy Son and his brothers all started their football career in Thanh Hoa.

The time when Sy Son was born was also the time when his family lived in a difficult situation, his mother, Mrs. Viet, had to quit her job to sell rice. At that time, food was very difficult, but thanks to her mother's job, Sy Son's brothers could eat freely. In 1991, Mrs. Viet accidentally met the trio Thanh Vinh - Hong Thanh - Mr. Duc and was suggested to take her children to play for SLNA Club. Two days later, Sy Son and his younger brother, Sy Thuy, were brought to Vinh by their mother for a trial. After only one week of testing, the two brothers were accepted into the team. Later, the youngest son, Van Sy Linh (born in 1980), also joined SLNA Club.

Van Sy Son was like an amateur player, once a fiery captain on the field but also received a disciplinary warning and a 1.5 year suspension for lack of responsibility in the 2003-2004 season. He devoted himself to SLNA until 2007 when he was 36 years old before retiring. Despite his talent, perhaps because of his impulsive personality, different from his brother Sy Hung, Sy Son was never called up to the national team.

2004 was also the year that Sy Son's family was extremely confused, Mr. Van Sy Chi retired, his eldest brother Van Sy Ngoc's time in Thanh Hoa was over, Van Sy Hung, Van Sy Thuy, Van Sy Linh were fired, leaving Van Sy Son alone struggling in the midst of SLNA's "major surgery".

Although serving a suspension, Sy Son is determined to stay at SLNA at all costs, once shockingly declaring that he would detonate a "bomb" if anyone touched him during the team's crisis.

Having gone through many stages, glory, hardships, poverty, and extreme hardships of Nghe An football. Just that alone, Son is qualified enough to stand in the middle of Vinh stadium and talk about Nghe An football with the younger generations.

Van Sy Son recalled: “In our time, we only practiced and practiced. The teachers always reminded us that, as a son of Nghe An, we always have the qualities and fighting spirit in all fronts. If we do not practice well, we will never achieve results when we enter the field. Once, during a practice match, I even “hit” Sy Hung and Sy Thuy because I was so skillful.

I wonder if the players today have ever spent their nights wringing their hands over their foreheads, tossing and turning, unable to sleep because they couldn’t understand why they lost like we did. Of course, they are different now, but I think the most important thing is that every player when he goes out on the field always plays for the fans, for his family and for the flag, not for his own brand.”

In 2008, when the economy was exhausted, Sy Son sold his house to study to become a coach and then joined Hanoi T&T thanks to the introduction of his close friend Trieu Quang Ha. In the 2008 season, the former defender of Song Lam contributed to bringing Hanoi T&T to the professional level as an assistant to coach Chu Dinh Nghiem.

In Hanoi, Sy Son reunited with his old teammate Huu Thang in 2009 when SLNA's steel center back was invited by Mr. Hien to save the capital team with the goal of staying in the league. The first success that Sy Son achieved in the Hanoi team's cabin was the 2010 V.League championship. As a coach, Sy Son became more mature, but the hot-tempered, impulsive temperament that once caused him to receive a disciplinary penalty for bowing to referee Vo Minh Tri has not changed much.

After the success with Hanoi in V.League 2018 when coach Chu Dinh Nghiem received a disciplinary penalty for 4 matches, Sy Son acted as a substitute for 3 matches and helped the capital team maintain a winning streak, moving towards the championship position in the first leg. Having worked for many years as an assistant for coaches such as Trieu Quang Ha, Nguyen Huu Thang, Phan Thanh Hung, Pham Minh Duc or Chu Dinh Nghiem, but this is the first time Mr. Van Sy Son has directly "commanded the troops". The pressure is not small, because this assistant will have to take the main role in taking care of both the expertise and the spirit of the students while coach Dinh Nghiem was doing very well before.

The match between SLNA and Hanoi in the 10th round was the first match that the son of his hometown, Van Sy Son, returned to face his hometown team and directly took charge. A victory left Sy Son with many mixed emotions, both happy and sad. Passionate and pursuing the ball to the end, despite many years of accepting to be a supporting actor, Sy Son really "tortured himself" and was determined to rise up to affirm the family tradition.

Nguyen Huu Thang: From a steel midfielder from Nghe An to President of Ho Chi Minh City Club

(Baonghean.vn) - The life and career of former central defender Nguyen Huu Thang is like a memoir with many chapters. As glorious as his playing career was, his days in prison were equally dark.