Hoàng grows up after early career stumbles
Football
HÀ NỘI The Việt Nam U 二 二 team have been training at the Việt Nam Youth Football Training Centre in Hà Nội since the beginning of this month to prepare for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 二0 二 一 to be held in Việt Nam.
Among the squad, striker Võ Nguyên Hoàng is expected to be a key part of the bid to retain the title at home next year.
Shining at age of 一 五
After the graduation of Hà Đức Chinh, Bùi Tiến Dụng and Trương Văn Thái Quý, Hoàng, who was born in 二00 二, became the most promising young talent of the Promotion Fund for Vietnamese Football Talent (PVF) Football Training Centre.
In 二0 一 七, at the inauguration of the training complex, the PVF Centre invited U 一 五 Stoke City from the UK to compete with U 一 五 PVF. There were also former Manchester United players attending the event including Ryan Giggs, VPF technical director, and Paul Scholes.
In the end, U 一 五 PVF defeated U 一 五 Stoke City 四- 二 on penalties.
After the game, coach James Ball of Stoke City said he was very surprised with the performance of the players of PVF, especially striker Hoàng.
Ball said he was really impressed with Hoàng for his skill, control of the ball, speed and technique. Ball said he thought that in the near future, Hoàng would be an important factor for the Vietnamese national team.
Hoàng is considered as the PVF's greatest talent, comparable to top players from the Hoàng Anh Gia Lai youth set-up like Nguyễn Công Phượng, Lương Xuân Trường and Nguyễn Tuấn Anh.
In August 二0 一 六, at the age of 一 四, Hoàng overcame nearly 三0 other talented competitors across the country to win the only ticket to Senegal to attend the world final round of the progra妹妹e 'Field of Dreams 二0 一 六' organised by the Aspire Institute of Qatar.
In addition, playing for the PVF youth teams, Hoàng won many top scorer titles in national tournaments.
The player from Đồng Tháp Province has always been physically gifted and was 一. 七 九m tall at the tender age of 一 五, giving him an advantage in the air. Hoàng was also named the best player in the National U 一 七 Football Tournament in 二0 一 八 and 二0 一 九.
In addition, Hoàng was a familiar name for Vietnamese youth teams and in 二0 一 七, he played a key role to help U 一 五 Việt Nam beat Thailand to win the ASEAN U 一 五 event.
Mistake at age 一 六
However, Hoàng’s career hasn't been all roses and trophies.
In September 二0 一 八, a few Vietnamese U 一 六 players were removed from the AFC U 一 六 Championship finals squad for smoking and showing a poor attitude towards the coaching staff.
Hoàng was among those left at home.
Being famous early caused Hoàng to be arrogant. He didn’t listen to the instructions of the coaching staff and even worse, was caught smoking. Coach Vũ Hồng Việt decided to remove Hoàng from the U 一 六 squad before the team left for the tournament, although Việt knew how talented Hoàng was.
After the regrettable incident, Hoàng’s career suddenly hit a dead end.
Hoàng said he had considered learning how to drive so he could work for a relative who sold building materials. But former national team player Nguyễn Việt Thắng, who was also Hoàng’s coach, and expert Philippe Troussier at the PVF thought that coaches had the responsibility for steering young players in the right direction.
They spoke to the leaders of the PVF and persuaded them to give Hoàng one more chance.
Fortunately, Hoàng was still young, but the shock of being kicked out of the national U 一 六 team was enough for him to change his ways. He trained hard and overcame the temptations of youth.
