"Domestic top scorer" of Vleague hopes to wear Song Lam Nghe An shirt

(Baonghean) - Talking with Nguyen Hai Anh - the "top scorer" of V.League 2014, he said that he regrets the most that he did not join Song Lam "furnace" to receive proper football training like many of his peers.

Nguyen Hai Anh was born into a poor farming family in Nghia Dan district. At the age of 2, due to economic pressure, Hai Anh's family moved to Ba Ria - Vung Tau province to live. At only 2 years old, he did not have many memories of his hometown, but through the stories of his relatives and the times he returned to his hometown during the holidays, Hai Anh still felt deeply the love and pride for his hometown.

Hai Anh hopes to wear SLNA shirt one day.

Having been passionate about football since childhood, Hai Anh has spent most of his time investing in football since he was a student. In amateur tournaments, especially school football, this boy from Nghe An always left his mark. Unfortunately, without anyone to guide or introduce him, Hai Anh was not able to study at a truly professional football "furnace". However, with the desire to nurture his passion, after graduating from high school, Hai Anh took the entrance exam to the University of Physical Education and Sports.

During this time, fate helped Hai Anh get acquainted with Doan Minh Xuong, coach of Dong Thap team. Recognizing the outstanding talent of this player, right after Hai Anh graduated, coach Doan Minh Xuong guided Hai Anh to pursue professional football. Although he was under the management of Dong Thap, for a while, Hai Anh was loaned to Kien Giang by this team. During his time playing for Kien Giang, Hai Anh was the key factor, helping Kien Giang win the right to be promoted to V.League. This striker has a total of 20 goals in 2 seasons, and is the striker with the highest scoring efficiency on the team.

With his excellent performance in Kien Giang, Hai Anh was recalled by his home team Dong Thap. He really wanted to do something to repay coach Doan Minh Xuong and the team that recruited him and gave him a “name”, but unfortunately, during the time he played with Dong Thap in the First Division, Hai Anh was injured. Unable to join Dong Thap in the V.League after the 2013 season, Hai Anh decided to leave.

As a domestic striker with a good scoring efficiency, Hai Anh is pursued by many teams. After much thought, Hai Anh decided to choose Dong Nai as his next destination. Explaining this, Hai Anh said that Dong Nai is a team with good intentions and another reason is that it is close to home, giving him better conditions to take care of his family.

In his first year playing for Dong Nai, Hai Anh proved his worth. He continuously scored goals and became an irreplaceable factor in the team's attack. At the end of the 2014 season, Hai Anh was the domestic striker who scored the most goals, surpassing even expected players like Cong Vinh or Anh Duc. Thanks to his excellent performance in Dong Nai's shirt, Hai Anh was called up to the national team to participate in the Asian qualifiers.

In the 2015 season, Hai Anh continued to be Dong Nai’s main factor in attack. However, due to changes within the team, Dong Nai showed a poor performance. “One swallow does not make a spring” and at the end of the season, Hai Anh had to accept the reality that the team was relegated. Dong Nai’s policy is to let players leave to find new teams, so people like Hai Anh must also determine and take care of their own future.

Continuing to be pursued by many teams, this time, Hai Anh chose XSKT.Can Tho. This player said, he chose XSKT.Can Tho because coach Vu Quang Bao is a fellow countryman of Nghia Dan and this team also has many players from Nghe An so he will feel the Nghe quality and something belonging to his hometown.

Talking about his dream, Hai Anh said that he always had a burning desire to one day wear the shirt of his hometown team. “Playing for SLNA always has values. The value is in the motivation, the value is in the fans, something that not every player in any club has” – Hai Anh confided. In fact, there was a time when Hai Anh returned to Vinh Stadium to look for an opportunity, but because the two sides could not find a common voice, the appointment was missed and until now, Hai Anh’s dream of wearing SLNA’s shirt is still unfinished…

VINH LIEM