10 months ago, few people knew about Nguyen Thai Son. But the young midfielder's career has completely changed since he won a place in the Vietnam national team and became the captain of Thanh Hoa Club at the age of 20.
The moment of stepping into the light
November 4, 2022 marked a special milestone in Nguyen Thai Son's career. Coach Svetislav Tanasijevic gave the player his first starting opportunity in his career for Thanh Hoa Club. At that time, the Thanh team welcomed Hanoi FC at home and was missing many key players.
Thai Son was named captain of Thanh Hoa Club at the age of 20.
Thai Son is the captain of U17, U19 and U21 Thanh Hoa. Being called up to the U19 Vietnam team a few times is not a guarantee of this player's talent. But right from the first minutes, Nguyen Thai Son's running and handling made thousands of Thanh Hoa fans watching the match feel surprised.
Despite the home team losing 0-1 after the first 45 minutes, Thai Son still played as if he had spent many years playing in the V-League. In the 64th minute, Thai Son penetrated the penalty area and scored a goal, helping Thanh Hoa draw with the champions of the tournament. In the final round of the 2022 season, this midfielder scored another goal against Ha Tinh.
However, the 2023 season did not start easily for Nguyen Thai Son. He sat on the bench for the first 4 matches, not playing a single minute. In the U23 Vietnam training session in March, Thai Son was eliminated before the team competed in the 2023 Doha Cup.
At the club level, coach Velizar Popov unexpectedly used his young student in the next 3 matches. That was the ticket that brought Thai Son back to U23 Vietnam. At that time, there were very few players of U23 Vietnam playing in the V-League and Thai Son was among them. He fought on the training ground, became a bright spot and got a place to attend the 32nd SEA Games.
Career turning point
Nguyen Thai Son does not possess any special skills, but his physical endurance and strong mentality give him a chance. In the group stage of the men's football event at the 32nd SEA Games, Thai Son was always a starter and in one match he ran 11.4 km, equivalent to his European colleagues.
Thai Son shines at the U23 Vietnam level.
In a failed tournament of U23 Vietnam, the midfielder from Thanh Hoa emerged as a bright spot. The image of a young talent capable of stepping into the light gradually became clearer. But the turning point in Nguyen Thai Son's career was when he was called up to the Vietnam national team. He played all 6 matches, scoring 1 goal.
June 20, 2023 is another milestone in Nguyen Thai Son's career. He was selected to start alongside Tuan Anh in the Vietnam national team's lineup in a friendly match against the Syrian national team. Thai Son played confidently, ran tirelessly and did a good job of cleaning up the midfield, helping Tuan Anh easily organize the match.
It was Thai Son who provided the assist for Tuan Hai to score the only goal of the match. Returning to Thanh Hoa Club, Thai Son was trusted more and continuously played in the starting lineup or came off the bench.
With 20 appearances in all competitions for Thanh Hoa Club, Thai Son was honored by VPF in the category of Best Young Player of the 2023 season.
In just 10 short months, Thai Son has conquered many milestones such as his first match and first goal in the V-League. He also quickly reached his first match and first goal for U23 Vietnam.
One start and one assist at the Vietnam national team level is not something that every 20-year-old player can do.
Thai Son - the hope of Thanh Hoa football has also become a name mentioned a lot in the U23 Vietnam team.
Mai Phuong
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