Mr. Quang Huy, after every Man United match, from social networks to coffee shops, everywhere is bustling with discussion. How do MU's wins and losses affect you, both from a professional and fan perspective?
- For more than 10 years, Man United has not been able to return to the English football championship. They have occasionally won a few small titles, but clearly cannot satisfy fans.
My generation has witnessed the golden age of the "Red Devils" and understood that "river has song, people have time". I am very sharing with the young generation of GenZ now - who grew up with MU but have never seen the team reach glory. The number of good, eye-catching matches of Man United in the past few years has really been very small.
People jokingly say: If you see many red shirts on the street on the first morning of the week, it means Man United just won. When they lost, social networks were flooded with jokes. Have you ever been drawn into those emotions?
- At first, I was very competitive (laughs), but in fact the team is in a period where it cannot break through. Many people mock, but sometimes there is something worth pondering.
MU fans are always very optimistic, no matter how teased they are, they cannot change their love for the team. Many people just know how to love, I can't explain why. Perhaps, that affection comes from beautiful memories of old, even though the next generation has not witnessed glory, they still keep the faith.
Through shocking defeats or surprise victories like against Liverpool recently, it can be seen that the number of "Red Devils" fans is still very large.
There are teams that are loved for their victories, some are remembered for their beautiful play, and some have become part of the memories of a generation. Man United is a rare case of gathering all 3, even a cultural phenomenon. Do you agree with this point of view?
- I think this is a cultural phenomenon. English football culture has been imbued with us for three decades. I was lucky to comment on the first matches of English football in Vietnam. The first match that Vietnamese audiences will watch is Man United vs Leicester City.
In the 1998-1999 season, Vietnamese audiences watched the UEFA Champions League live from the group stage for the first time, in which Man United drew 3-3 with Barcelona and then won the legendary treble. At that time, many Vietnamese people loved Eric Cantona - the "Ghost King" and from then on also loved MU.
At that time, the "boy-band" trend ( boy band) spread globally, Beckham, Scholes, Neville brothers, Nicky Butt also had a similar style, making it easy for Vietnamese audiences to accept English football culture.
After all these years, MU is still the most successful English team. However, in the hearts of fans, the "Red Devils" are still a beautiful, vibrant football team with its own identity.
It has been 12 years since Sir Alex left the chair, Man United has not returned to their heyday, but the team's appeal seems to have never decreased. What does this story say, sir?
- In fact, MU is still the number 1 team in terms of media influence. Newspapers, even reporters who don't like MU, still have to admit that they want to follow this team and almost every day have articles analyzing the "Red Devils".
On social networks, MU still has a huge audience. After each match, people can discuss and sift many aspects. Last season, Amorim and his team made fans feel like they were on a rating train, the emotions changed constantly like there was a director behind them.
However, a team still needs achievements to maintain attraction. If there is no title in another decade, the number of fans will certainly decrease significantly.
MU are showing signs of improvement after a difficult opening period. From a professional perspective, do you believe the team will continue to maintain positive form in the coming time?
- Currently, Man United has the advantage of playing one match a week. This is a very good pace for coach Amorim and his team to play, adjust and learn from.
In previous seasons, MU was unstable and competed in many tournaments, so they did not meet the requirements. Therefore, with the current comfortable schedule, the "Red Devils" will be more stable and the audience can enjoy more eye-catching matches.
