Quang Hai: 'Players have to think bigger under coach Troussier'

Hanoi In his first interview since leaving Pau FC, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai pointed out the big difference under new coach Philippe Troussier.

Nguyen Quang Hai practices with the Vietnam national team during the June 2023 gathering. Photo: VFF — Nguyen Quang Hai trains with the Vietnam national team during the June 2023 gathering. Photo: *VFF*

After terminating his contract with Pau FC, Quang Hai returned to join and practice with the Vietnam national team from June 7. After nearly a week, he gradually felt the differences that Coach Troussier imparted to the players. "The most special thing about Coach Troussier is his meticulousness," Quang Hai said before the afternoon practice session on June 12. "What I have to admit is that under Coach Troussier, the players' thinking must be bigger."

According to the midfielder from Hanoi, with the utmost seriousness, Coach Troussier instilled the ambition of winning a ticket to the 2026 World Cup into each player of the national team and U23. Quang Hai said that he and his teammates felt excited through the novelty of each training session, committed to training and competing with the highest spirit.

Troussier played as a defender for French clubs from 1976 to 1983. He turned to coaching after retiring, and was nicknamed "The White Witch Doctor" when he led African teams such as South Africa, Ivory Coast and Nigeria to the World Cup. He also helped Japan U20 win the runner-up position at the 1999 U20 World Cup, Japan team won the 2000 Asian Cup and entered the 1/8 round of the 2002 World Cup.

Troussier was appointed by the Vietnam Football Federation as the head coach of the national team and U23 team, after coach Park Hang-seo's contract expired. Right from the beginning, the 1955-born coach affirmed that he came to Vietnam with the goal of winning a ticket to the 2026 World Cup - a tournament that will increase the number of participating teams to 48 (compared to 36 as at present).

Coach Philippe Troussier (red shirt) talks with the national team and U23 Vietnam players before the training session. Photo: VFF — Coach Philippe Troussier (red shirt) talks with the national team and U23 Vietnam players before the training session. Photo: *VFF*

In the press conference before this training session, Coach Troussier affirmed that in terms of performance or playing time in recent months, Quang Hai did not deserve to be called up to the national team, but he still highly appreciated his importance and wanted to call him up to encourage his spirit. When asked about this, Quang Hai said he only had minor problems with ball feeling and physical strength, and would try to have an official position in the squad.

This time, Quang Hai wore the number 8 shirt during training, while the trademark number 19 belonged to his junior Nguyen Van Tung. The former Hanoi FC player did not care about this. He affirmed that he was not a star and did not want any privileges in the team. "The star is only on the chest. All members create the strongest and most cohesive team. The most important thing is to succeed together and win for the fans," he said, adding that the important thing is the chest, not the number on the back.

Talking about leaving Pau FC, Quang Hai is not sad, instead he feels he has learned and matured more, hoping to show those things in the future. Currently, Quang Hai is a free agent, most likely he will join the Hanoi Police Club.

Quang Hai is among the 30 players selected by Coach Troussier for the friendly match against Hong Kong on June 15. Two other players playing abroad, Cong Phuong and Van Toan, are also on the list. Coach Troussier said he wants to make the most of the time according to the FIFA schedule to help these players better understand the philosophy of playing football.

Hieu Luong

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