Xuan Truong's career ups and downs, leaving HAGL, struggling to regain peak form

Luong Xuan Truong was once considered the most promising talent of HAGL, carrying with him many expectations. But his journey was full of ups and downs. After leaving the mountain town, he struggled to find himself, with a long series of days without scoring, causing his peak form to gradually disappear.

Luong Xuan Truong was born on April 28, 1995 in Phan Thiet Ward, Tuyen Quang City. Since he was a child, his passion for football has been ingrained in his blood. Unlike many of his peers who are engrossed in video games or outings, Truong just wants to run and jump with the ball. His family, especially his parents, Mr. Luong Bach Chien and Mrs. Le Thi Nhuan, have always been a solid support, supporting all of his son's decisions on the path to pursuing his dream.

As a child, Xuan Truong did not possess an outstanding physical foundation, but in return, he had innate dexterity and an admirable football mindset. The football matches on the dirt and concrete fields of the ward honed the skills and forged the will of the young man from Tuyen Quang. Thanks to his early talent, Xuan Truong quickly caught the attention of scouts, and the door to one of the most prestigious training centers in Vietnam opened.

In 2007, at the age of 12, Luong Xuan Truong officially took his first steps into the HAGL Arsenal JMG Football Academy in Pleiku, Gia Lai. This was an important milestone, marking the beginning of a professional journey. The HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy, under the leadership of Mr. Duc and in cooperation with Arsenal Club, is a modern training model, focusing on individual technique, football thinking and ball control philosophy.

Here, Xuan Truong was trained with teammates who would later make history such as Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Tran Huu Dong Trieu, Nguyen Van Toan... They ate, slept, practiced and nurtured their football dreams together. Xuan Truong quickly asserted his position as "conductor" in the midfield with the ability to pass the ball with both feet as one, long passes with high accuracy down to the centimeter and extremely sharp tactical vision.

He is considered the brain of this talented generation of players, the one who controls the tempo of the game and opens up attacking opportunities for his teammates. Success in youth tournaments, from the national U15 to U19 tournaments, has turned the first HAGL Arsenal JMG class into a phenomenon, a new hope for Vietnamese football.

After many years of training at the academy, Xuan Truong's generation of players officially entered the V.League arena in 2015 in the HAGL first team. With the philosophy of beautiful football and ball control directed by Mr. Duc, HAGL and Xuan Truong brought a new breeze to the highest tournament in Vietnam. Immediately, he and his teammates became sought-after stars, loved by many fans.

Not stopping at V.League, Xuan Truong's talent is also recognized internationally. He became the first Vietnamese player to play in Korea's top football league (K.League Classic) when he moved to Incheon United in 2016, then Gangwon FC in 2017. These trips abroad are the dream of a young player, carrying great expectations from home fans. However, the journey in Korea was not easy. The difference in physical strength, speed, training intensity and playing style posed great challenges for Xuan Truong.

He struggled with injuries and competition for a place in a top professional environment. Despite his shining moments, "Squinty" Truong could not find a solid footing, his limited appearances prevented him from reaching his full potential and he had to return to Vietnam. These were valuable lessons about the harshness of top football, where talent must be accompanied by physical strength and adaptability.

If the trips abroad were a low point, the time wearing the national team jersey under coach Park Hang-seo was the shining peak of Luong Xuan Truong's career. With his tactical vision and excellent passing ability, he became an important player, the "brain" in the midfield of the U23 Vietnam team and the national team.

The 2016 AFF Cup was the first tournament in which Xuan Truong really made a strong impression at the national team level. At the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in Changzhou (China), he and his teammates wrote a fairy tale. Xuan Truong, as vice-captain and the heart of the midfield, showed excellent form.

His precise passes and free kicks have become his "trademark", contributing greatly to his journey to win the historic silver medal. The image of Luong Xuan Truong, calm and composed on the field, along with his intelligent and sensitive statements off the field, has conquered the hearts of millions of fans.

His career peak came at the end of 2018, when he and the Vietnamese team won the AFF Cup championship after 10 years of waiting. Xuan Truong was an indispensable part of the golden squad, instilling immense pride in the hearts of fans. He became a symbol, a hope of Vietnamese football.

After the glory days, the low points in Luong Xuan Truong's career began to appear. Injuries, especially the terrible knee ligament injury, continuously haunted him, eroding his physical strength and form. Despite his efforts to treat and recover, Xuan Truong could not regain his previous speed and flexibility. This was a heavy blow to a player who was not physically strong.

The decision to leave HAGL once again to seek new challenges, joining clubs such as Buriram United (Thailand), then Hai Phong and Hanoi FC, did not bring the expected results. In the new environments, Xuan Truong was no longer the "untouchable number one" as in HAGL. He had to face fiercer competition, with higher demands on the intensity of the game.

One of the saddest statistics for Xuan Truong after leaving HAGL is the number of 0 goals in V.League, even though he spent nearly 3 seasons playing for Hai Phong and Ha Tinh.

According to statistics, Xuan Truong has played a total of 51 matches in the V.League since leaving the mountain town team. Of which, he has 21 appearances for Ha Tinh Club in the 2024/2025 season. But up to this moment, the former HAGL captain has not once recorded his name on the scoreboard.

Nearly three seasons, 51 matches in V.League and not once celebrating a goal. For a player who once stood out with his superb free kicks and was a familiar image in HAGL's victories, this is a number that makes many people surprised, even regretful.

Of course, Xuan Truong is not a midfielder who is good at scoring goals like Quang Hai. But it cannot be denied that he has had explosive moments, especially the double free kick goal in the match HAGL won Thanh Hoa 3-2 in 2019, a rare record in V.League until today.

In total, Xuan Truong has scored 9 goals in his V.League career. His best season was 2018, when the midfielder from Tuyen Quang scored 4 goals for HAGL. However, his most recent goal was on July 24, 2022, in HAGL's 2-0 victory over Thanh Hoa.

Since that shot into Thanh Hoa's net, nearly 3 years have passed, and midfielder Xuan Truong has not scored any more goals. The change in environment, injuries, inconsistent performance and his role as a central figure in HAGL could be the main reasons for his prolonged "goal drought".

The story of Xuan Truong at this time is no longer about numbers. It is a feeling of regret for a player who once brought a lot of expectations for Vietnamese football. A midfielder with rare technical qualities, once called the "conductor" of the Cong Phuong - Tuan Anh generation.

Three years, 0 goals, a number that speaks volumes about the journey that midfielder Xuan Truong is on. There are many regrets, and perhaps many of his fans will wonder: When will Xuan Truong find his true self again?

HAGL graduates, 10 years of studying come to an end, Mr. Duc is pleased Khang Trần17:18:07 20/12/2024Not only shining on the field, Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong and the HAGL players also scored excellent goals on the path of education when they officially graduated from university, closing a 10-year journey of studying with determination.