Nguyen Manh Dung: Former Vietnam national team central defender, talented but said to have a big ego

Coming from The Cong training center, Manh Dung's talent was quickly revealed when he was promoted to the first team very early. If there was a record for the youngest player to play in The Cong's first team, it would probably belong to Manh Dung.

In November 1992, when he was only 15 years old, he first played for The Cong team 1 to compete against Thanh Hoa Police in the National Cup. Inheriting the qualities of his father, former The Cong player Nguyen Trong Giap, Manh Dung was considered a promising central defender not only for The Cong but also for Vietnamese football in the late 90s of the last century. Not only having an ideal height of 1m79, the player born in 1977 also possesses long-ball skills and excellent command of the defense.

Former center back Nguyen Manh Dung.

The period from 1997 to 1999 was the most successful period during the years Manh Dung wore the The Cong shirt. In the U.21 The Cong shirt, Manh Dung and his teammates were crowned champions of the Thanh Nien Newspaper U.21 tournament 3 times in a row. In the final match of the Thanh Nien Newspaper U.21 tournament 1997, from an indirect free kick, Manh Dung delicately chipped the ball over the U.21 Ho Chi Minh City wall, creating conditions for Truong Viet Hoang to escape and score an equalizer for the home team, contributing to the U.21 The Cong's successful comeback and the final victory with a score of 2-1.

With a physique like a European player, the ability to play football with excellent tactical thinking, reasonable entry and exit, and knowing how to command the defense system, Manh Dung quickly became the leader of The Cong's defense. Under the excellent command of Manh Dung, The Cong was crowned the 1998 national championship and possessed the most solid defense (only conceding 20 goals after 26 rounds - the fewest among the 14 teams participating in the tournament).

Dung possesses a left foot that even "one-sided" players like Bao Khanh must love: "Dung has a very "good" left foot, especially the ability to make long passes with the left foot with an accurate landing point - something that very few Vietnamese players of the same era can do."

Although he had plenty of talent, his ego was too big, causing Manh Dung to go through many ups and downs in his football career. Many audiences at that time were upset with Dung "Giap" because he liked to show off, such as going on the field with shiny hair, red shoes, playing football like a "rich kid", or overreacting to the audience. Mr. Giap himself, when he was still in charge of the role of Deputy Head of the Vietnam Football Federation's National Team, had to face many headaches because of reports about Manh Dung's lack of discipline sent to the Federation by clubs.

After a period of causing trouble at The Cong, Manh Dung was entrusted by his father to Technical Director Nguyen Van Vinh at HAGL. Here, Dung "Giap" regained his form and achieved impressive results with the mountain town team, the peak of which was 2 consecutive V-League championships (2003, 2004).

After showing impressive performance in HAGL's shirt in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Manh Dung was called back to the national team in 2005. Recalling that memory, Dung said: "Coach Alfred Riedl at that time said that I would have to practice and compete with the responsibility of a big brother of the team. I was the number 1 central defender in Vietnam and he wanted me to be worthy of that, to stand in my right position."

Thanks to that, Dung "Giap" returned to his maturity and peak performance in the period 2005-2007. Unfortunately, after that, due to violations of training hours and activities, Manh Dung was forced to pack his bags and return home after the second round of the group stage of the AFF Cup 2007. That was also the end of Manh Dung's international career.

Vietnamese football fans know Manh Dung as a talented player (Dung has a talent for writing and drawing quite beautifully, inherited from his father) but has many faults. Not only that, Manh Dung also has quite shocking statements. For example, once he appeared on TV and said bluntly: "I play football well, I am handsome, my family is well-off, so...".

After marrying singer Hien Anh - the second prize winner of Sao Mai Chamber Music Competition 2007 - the life of the former central defender of the Vietnamese national team has now taken a new turn. The couple Manh Dung - Hien Anh currently organize a music event company. While the wife is in charge of the performance content, the husband is in charge of negotiating and signing contracts for the company. The former central defender of the Vietnamese national team said that he did not have too much difficulty getting used to the new job. Because organizing music events is similar to organizing football matches.

Sharing about his work in 2020, Manh Dung said: "Since retiring, I have still participated in football activities, but most of all I participate in charity tournaments. Occasionally, I am invited to comment on some football matches as well as supervise the matches. During the 2018 World Cup, I was invited to be a commentator for K ".

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