Vo Duc Lam – Then and Now!

(Baonghean.vn) - In the 70th minute of the National Super Cup match between SLNA and Saigon Port in 2000, the player wearing the number 19 jersey of the Nghe An team cleverly broke the opponent's offside trap, swooped down and curled the ball over the head of goalkeeper Van Phung, setting the score at 2-0 for the home team. The hero of that day was midfielder Vo Duc Lam.

Difficulty in asserting oneself

The moment of scoring against Saigon Port is the most remarkable mark of Vo Duc Lam in the Vinh home team's shirt. Same generation as Nguyen Thanh Cong, Tran Xuan Ly, Quang Tho... the player from Thach Ha - Ha Tinh is highly appreciated by experts and football fans of Nghe An province compared to his teammates of the same age. The clearest proof is that in the U22 Thanh Nien Newspaper tournament in 1997 (later changed to U21 Thanh Nien Newspaper as it is now), in the achievement of U22 SLNA reaching the semi-finals, Vo Duc Lam had a great contribution.

Playing in the central midfielder position, the player born in 1977 takes on the role of “conductor” of the team. With basic personal skills, excellent tactical vision of a midfield boss, Vo Duc Lam is the transit station of each ball, the “detonator” in the attacks and also the “valve” that keeps the team in rhythm. That year, U22 SLNA was not highly rated, so the achievement of entering the 4 strongest teams is very admirable. Vo Duc Lam’s performance helped him appear in the list of “most promising faces of the tournament”.

Vo Duc Lam (yellow shirt) in a fight for the ball with Trieu Quang Ha (The Cong). Photo: Quang Minh.

Returning from the U22 Thanh Nien Newspaper Finals, Vo Duc Lam was honored to wear the SLNA shirt to compete in major arenas such as the National Championship/V.League and the National Cup. Possessing the necessary qualities of a central midfielder, Vo Duc Lam received great expectations from Nghe An football fans. Along with Ha Mai Giang (who died in a traffic accident in 2004), he was considered capable of inheriting the position left by Phan Thanh Tuan. Unfortunately, what Vo Duc Lam did was not commensurate with his inherent talent.

The fateful turns

Entering the 2005 season, SLNA had many disturbances after veteran coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh left the team to go to Ho Chi Minh City to lead Dong A Bank Club. Along with Quang Tho, Hai Nam, Vo Duc Lam was also not present in the Nghe An team to participate in the new season. The decision to sign a contract with Hoa Phat Hanoi Club without the consent of SLNA's Board of Directors almost caused the opportunity to wear the capital team's shirt to be broken. Fortunately, Vo Duc Lam and the remaining 2 teammates were finally allowed by their home club to join Hoa Phat Hanoi.

During more than 3 years playing for the Hang Day Stadium team (2005 - 2008), Vo Duc Lam left more or less positive impressions on the capital audience. Often present in the starting lineup, helping the former SLNA midfielder to be more confident and graceful in handling situations. His rather gentle and somewhat leisurely playing style makes Vo Duc Lam quite special in the V,League environment full of slashing and tricks. Not the type of player who often scores goals, Vo Duc Lam's achievements force people to remember forever. The goal that sealed the 2-1 score for Hoa Phat Ha Noi in the 2006 National Cup final against Gach Dong Tam Long is the most typical example.

Since 2011, Vo Duc Lam has been working hard as a coach at the Hanoi T&T – VSH football center. Photo: from FBNV.

In 2008, Vo Duc Lam officially retired to pursue his dream of becoming a coach. After months of "studying hard", in 2011, the former midfielder born in 1977 decided to join the Hanoi T&T - VSH Football Training Center in Cua Lo town. Over the past 6 years, with his talent and dedication, Vo Duc Lam has discovered, trained and guided a series of young talents to become famous professional players in the colors of clubs in V.League and the national team. Names include Sam Ngoc Duc (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Huu Son (Sai ​​Gon FC)... There will be many more football talents from Nghe An who will "change their lives" thanks to the hands and brains, brains and sweat of the coach who just turned 40 years old.

Referring to his friend and colleague Vo Duc Lam, Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong (U17 SHB Da Nang) shared: "In daily life, Mr. Lam is a very affectionate, sincere and close friend. At work, he is a teacher with good expertise, always devoted to his students". Hopefully, on the path of "career of cultivating people", Coach Vo Duc Lam will train more talents for Vietnamese football. Past - present and future, the former SLNA player is still passionate about the career of round ball, an immortal love./.

Thanh Hung