Forgotten 'legend' Cong Phuong regains his glory, scores two super goals

Cong Phuong used to be a football legend of the Vietnam national team, but he had a period of poor performance and became obscure in the public's mind. After a difficult time with his career, the male striker was able to recreate history and shine once again.

Born on January 21, 1995 in My Son commune, Do Luong district, Nghe An province, Nguyen Cong Phuong had a difficult childhood. A farming family with many siblings, a hard life made Phuong a strong and determined bo.y. His love for the round ball blossomed from the afternoons of herding buffaloes and cutting grass, when Phuong and his friends in the village used grapefruit and lemon as balls, freely running around the rice fields.

That burning passion prompted Phuong to pursue professional football. In 2007, when the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Arsenal JMG Football Academy recruited its first class, the skinny, dark-skinned bo.y Nguyen Cong Phuong traveled from Nghe An to Gia Lai to try his hand. Surpassing thousands of opponents, Phuong caught the eye of scouts and officially became one of the elite members of this prestigious training center.

HAGL JMG Academy is not only a place to practice techniques and tactics but also an environment to educate the personality of young players. Here, Cong Phuong was trained systematically under the guidance of experienced coaches, absorbing beautiful football philosophy. Together with talented teammates such as Luong Xuan Truong, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Tran Huu Dong Trieu, Phuong quickly affirmed his natural talent.

With his skillful individual playing style, dribbling ability, speed and sharp tactical vision, Cong Phuong is considered as "Vietnamese Messi". He has become one of the most anticipated young players of Vietnamese football. The national and international youth tournaments that Phuong and his HAGL JMG teammates participated in have created a fever among football fans. Phuong's beautiful playing style and impressive goals have conquered the hearts of millions of fans.

In 2014, the talented players of HAGL JMG, including Cong Phuong, were officially promoted to the first team to compete in the V-League. Their appearance created a new breeze for the tournament, attracting a large number of spectators to the stadium. Cong Phuong quickly became a pillar of the mountain town team, scoring many important goals and having classy moves. He became the symbol of a generation of talented young players, the hope of Vietnamese football.

Cong Phuong's career continued to flourish when he was called up to the national team. He was a key member of the Vietnam U19 team, creating miracles in Asian tournaments, winning the right to participate in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the national team, Cong Phuong also made important contributions, scoring beautiful goals and contributing to the team's successes.

Memorable moments during this period include beautiful solo goals in the V-League, smart assists, and especially important goals in the national team jersey. The image of Cong Phuong with the number 10 shirt, long hair and a bright smile has been deeply imprinted in the minds of fans. He has become an idol, a source of inspiration for Vietnamese youth.

After initial successes, Cong Phuong's career began to stagnate. Too high expectations, pressure from public opinion, and perhaps even inappropriate transfer decisions prevented his talent from reaching its full potential. His overseas trips to Japan (Mito HollyHock) and Korea (Incheon United) did not bring him as many opportunities to play and as much success as expected.

Returning to V-League, although there were still some shining moments, Cong Phuong could no longer maintain the stability and explosiveness as before. He went through periods of unsuccessful performance, facing criticism from experts and fans. The image of a "Vietnamese Messi" gradually faded, replaced by a talented player who could not show his full potential.

This period can be considered a quiet period, even a low point in Cong Phuong's career. Injuries, competition for positions, and changes in the playing style of the teams he played for have significantly affected the performance of this striker. Fans cannot help but feel regretful for a talent who was once highly expected. The question of whether Cong Phuong can regain his former glory has become a big question mark.

However, with a strong will and a desire to contribute, Nguyen Cong Phuong never gave up. He practiced silently, tried to improve himself and waited for the opportunity to prove his worth. And then, that opportunity came.

In a recent match, Cong Phuong shone brightly with a pair of classy goals, contributing significantly to the home team's victory. Yesterday (April 20), in round 15 of the 2024/2025 First Division, striker Nguyen Cong Phuong shone brightly with a pair of goals, both from free kicks. Cong Phuong's two brilliant moments helped Binh Phuoc Club defeat Hoa Binh Club 2-1 when they were behind.

If he maintains good form, Cong Phuong will have the opportunity to return to the Vietnamese team during the training session at the end of May, preparing for the match against Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

At the ASEAN Cup 2024 and the FIFA Days in March, Cong Phuong was not included in the Vietnam national team by coach Kim Sang-sik for a number of reasons. Not only that, when his close friend Nguyen Van Toan made an impressive comeback in the Nam Dinh Steel Club, Cong Phuong's chance to return to the Vietnam national team was considered to be much narrower. But at this time, when the Vietnam national team's attac.k is significantly damaged, Cong Phuong's ability to create breakthroughs as well as his superb free-kick technique will certainly make coach Kim Sang-sik pay attention to consider including this player in the Vietnam national team's list in the next training session.

With his current form, Cong Phuong is gradually regaining his confidence and showing his inherent technical qualities. Recent goals and assists are the clearest evidence of this striker's strong comeback. Fans are expecting him to continue to maintain his high form to help Binh Phuoc achieve its goals and have the opportunity to return to the national team.

Xuan Son was "kicked" out of the national team by Cong Phuong, sending a shocking message? Khang Trần12:38:17 24/01/2025Nguyen Cong Phuong is proving himself to be a strong candidate to replace Nguyen Xuan Son in the Vietnam national team. With his excellent performance, the Nghe An striker is gradually convincing the coaching staff and fans of his ability.