Tran Gia Bao: Hotboy of football village, surpassing Quang Hai - Cong Phuong

After scoring a goal in V.League, Tran Gia Bao became one of the most notable names in football. Besides setting a record, the young player from Lam Dong also has interesting stories about himself.

Three months ago, the world football community was stunned to see 16-year-old Spanish player Lamine Yamal shine at Euro. Returning to Vietnamese football, 16-year-old Tran Gia Bao has made V.League more attractive than ever. Many fans even do not hesitate to call this player "Vietnamese version of Lamine Yamal".

Who is Tran Gia Bao?

Tran Gia Bao was born on January 3, 2008 in Lam Dong. In fact, his parents moved from Ha Tinh to do business. But there is one special detail. That is, Gia Bao speaks the Northern dialect clearly. That invisibly creates a special feature from this player.

At the age of 11, Gia Bao passed the entrance exam to Hoang Anh Gia Lai Football Academy (HAGL). At that time, he was coached by coach Trinh Duy Quang. It should be added that at that time, HAGL was no longer as strong as before. The generation of Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Van Toan had created a big buzz for Mr. Duc's academy. But after 4 years, they did not achieve success at the club level. However, the echoes from the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in Changzhou, China as well as the 2018 AFF Cup championship had fueled Gia Bao's love for football. Then, he was determined to seek luck from his career in shorts and jerseys.

Also after only a few years, Gia Bao and the HAGL youth teams soon reaped encouraging achievements. These include the 2022 National U15 Bronze Medal; 2023 National U15 Bronze Medal; 2024 National U19 Bronze Medal or the Style Award, 2024 National U17 Silver Medal.

On the field, Gia Bao is considered a professional player. Off the field, he is praised for his good lifestyle. Coach Le Thanh An, who initially accompanied Gia Bao, shared: "Bao is a leader who can inspire his teammates. He often encourages and worries about his teammates when they are in pain. Along with his emotions, Bao plays with passion and has good observation. There are times when some players are psychologically depressed when the opponent plays aggressively and dominates, Bao is the one who encourages and lifts up the team spirit."

Players at HAGL said that Bao is a sociable and emotional person. He just doesn't express himself much in words in real life. On the field, Bao is truly a pillar of trust, from playing to cheering for the team. There is an interesting detail related to Gia Bao that people at Ham Rong Center have seen and heard. Not long ago, a group of tourists came to the Center to visit. One of the guests was somewhat impolite when he didn't greet the people around him. While the group of players were welcoming the guests, Bao still bowed to greet that person. Seeing that, the guest felt a bit embarrassed and ashamed.

"Bao is obedient and polite to everyone," said coach Trinh Duy Quang. "Bao greets everyone he meets. And when he goes to practice or compete, he is very disciplined and tries hard."

V.League boost!

After initial successes at the youth level, Gia Bao was given the opportunity to play in the V.League. More precisely, Chairman Doan Nguyen Duc of HAGL as well as Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuy - the head of the main sponsor of the mountain town team, wanted HAGL to continue the process of rejuvenating the squad. Implementing that will, Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh decided to promote Gia Bao to the main squad of HAGL to participate in the V.League. At the age of 16, Gia Bao became the only teenage face in the HAGL squad. Even in the first match, Coach Le Quang Trai created the opportunity for this player to debut. Responding to the trust of his teacher and the coaching staff, Gia Bao did even better.

At the age of 16 years, 8 months, 12 days, Gia Bao marked his memorable V.League debut. After only 19 minutes on the field (from minute 73 to the second injury time of the second half), Gia Bao scored his first goal in his professional career. That was a situation where Quang Nam goalkeeper Van Cong did not push the ball well, the young HAGL attacker swooped in to kick the rebound, sealing a 4-0 victory for the team from the mountain town. Gia Bao burst into joy. He rushed to hug the coaching staff on the sidelines right after the match ended.

It is worth mentioning that this goal not only helped HAGL have the biggest victory in the past 5 years. Because Gia Bao himself also entered the history of V.League.

Gia Bao has surpassed the record of Nguyen Cong Thanh, born in 1997, playing in the match between Dong Thap and Can Tho (January 10, 2015). At that time, Cong Thanh was only 17 years and 97 days old.

Meanwhile, some other prominent faces such as Quang Hai debuted in V.League at the age of 18 or Cong Phuong played in V.League at the age of 19.

More importantly, after that goal, Gia Bao was able to mature in his way of speaking and controlling his emotions. In front of the media, he confidently spoke without stumbling over a word: "I feel happy and joyful. First of all, I would like to thank the coaches and teachers in the coaching staff for supporting me a lot, reminding and helping me in the past time. When I entered the field in this match, I felt very happy and joyful. I will try to practice as much as possible. This is a stepping stone for me to try harder to fulfill my potential."

Former striker Quang Hai praised the young player: "At the age of 16, he was able to breathe the air of V.League and scored a goal. Perhaps this will be an unforgettable memory for player Tran Gia Bao (Gia Lai). Sitting and watching him score an emotional goal, I also felt a little emotional. We really need teachers who dare to create opportunities for young players so that they have a chance. Because in the future, they will be the factors of Vietnamese football. Congratulations, Gia Bao. I love your hot boy."

After the above achievement, Tran Gia Bao was immediately searched on Facebook. Gia Bao also attracted female fans because of his handsome appearance and charming way of speaking.

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