Ho Chi Minh City After winning the 2023 Vietnam Golden Ball, the midfielder of The Cong Club and the Vietnam national team praised Pham Tuan Hai - a colleague who has made many advances in the past year.
"Tuan Hai and I both had good matches and scored beautiful goals. Today, whoever wins the Golden Ball is deserving. I believe this award will motivate us to improve ourselves to contribute more to our country's football," the new winner of the Vietnam Golden Ball told VnExpress after the award ceremony on the evening of February 19.
Hoang Duc (middle) took a photo with Pham Tuan Hai (left) and Dang Van Lam at the 2023 Vietnam Golden Ball Awards ceremony, held in Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of February 19. Photo: Duc Dong
In 2023, Hoang Duc played four matches for the national team, but did not score any goals. In return, in the 2023 V-League, he scored five goals and assisted five times in 20 matches, helping The Cong Viettel finish the season in third place with 32 points - six points less than the two leading teams, CAHN and Hanoi FC. Hoang Duc was therefore voted the best player of the V-League last season.
Hoang Duc was a mainstay in the midfield of the national team under coach Park Hang-seo. In 2021, he also won the Vietnam Golden Ball. But since coach Philippe Troussier took office in early 2023, his role has gradually declined, even not playing a single minute in the two matches between the Philippines and Iraq in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - Asia region. At the 2023 Asian Cup, he could not participate due to injury. Coach Troussier once affirmed that he did not use Hoang Duc because he did not meet his requirements, while the team's midfield was stable. According to the French coach, in terms of individual quality, Hoang Duc is a quality player, plays diversely, has the ability to create breakthroughs but has not yet demonstrated those qualities well in the team.
"I feel like I am improving myself and contributing to the club's goals. Unfortunately, in the second half of 2023, I was injured and could not join the national team to participate in the Asian Cup," the midfielder from Hai Duong added.
Before this year's awards ceremony, striker Pham Tuan Hai received high expectations. For the national team, he scored against Syria and Palestine, and started both matches against the Philippines and Iraq in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round - Asia region. At the Asian Cup, Tuan Hai was commented by the Asian Football Confederation as a player worth watching for Vietnam, and contributed a goal in the opening match, losing 2-4 to Japan.
The 25-year-old striker has maintained his high form in the V-League and has scored in the early stages of the 2023-2024 season. He has also made his name in the AFC Champions League, in his first appearance for Hanoi FC, with four goals and one assist, including a late goal that helped Hanoi eliminate defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds from the tournament.
However, according to the voting results, Tuan Hai only won the Silver Ball. According to this striker, this is still a memorable achievement and he sees it as motivation to strive for better in the future.
Duc Dong
Source link
Comment (0)