Not a new story
The fact that U23 Vietnam won a medal for the second time in history at the AFC U23 Championship finals created a large wave of interest. The impressive performance throughout the tournament not only brought home a bronze medal, but also helped Dinh Bac and his teammates win the hearts of fans.
The moment when fans surrounded Ly Duc, Minh Phuc, Van Khang, Dinh Bac or Van Binh to ask for autographs and take photos every time they appeared in public, or after each match in the V.League, has been happening continuously for more than half a month.
As the attraction increases, communication and marketing activities immediately "get involved". As for the U23 Vietnam players, this heat is concretized by advertising contracts or invitations to participate in large and small events.
Before Dinh Bac or Van Khang, Vietnamese football has witnessed many stars being hunted by the public and invited by businesses.
Quang Hai, Dinh Trong, Van Duc - Dinh Bac's current teammates at Hanoi Police Club once earned tens of billions of VND thanks to advertising during the peak period of U23 Vietnam after the 2018 Asian Championship. Also from that milestone, many other players have "changed their lives" after the runner-up feat.
These are not only bonuses with an average value of 3-5 billion VND per person from agencies and philanthropists. Names like Xuan Manh, Duc Chinh, Van Hau, Quang Hai and especially goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung also receive very high benefits thanks to advertising and event attendance contracts.
Going back in time, former famous players such as Le Cong Vinh, Le Huynh Duc or Nguyen Hong Son also increased their revenue through commercial exploitation activities from their names.
In each historical period of national football, fans have found faces who have created great influence thanks to their talents on the pitch.
Along with that, the viewpoint of opposing players acting in advertisements and attending events also appears with different levels, depending on the time and social awareness.
Conflicting mirrors
A few days ago, at an honoring event, Nguyen Dinh Bac flew from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to attend. He was arranged to sit next to a highly influential actor who advised Dinh Bac not to spend too much time on sideline activities but to focus maximally on expertise.
Right from the moment the striker from Nghe An returned to the country after the Asian tournament, before the hunting of thousands of people at each event, many opinions on social networks expressed concern for his "shorts and jersey" career.
However, there are also many fans who believe that Dinh Bac completely deserves to have extra income off the field, like his domestic and foreign colleagues after shining in big playgrounds.
From a positive perspective, Nguyen Quang Hai is a typical example. Shining brightly to help U23 Vietnam win the runner-up title in 2018, the number of Quang Hai followers has increased a lot. Brands lined up to invite him.
Although his schedule changed and became busier, Quang Hai still maintained high form for more than a year afterwards. He contributed to helping Olympic Vietnam win 4th place at ASIAD, win the AFF Cup and reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals with the national team. Not to mention, in the Hanoi FC shirt, he also won the V.League and National Cup championships.
Quang Hai continues to make his mark on the journey of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and together with U22 Vietnam won the gold medal at SEA Games 30. Currently, although no longer in the most explosive period, the striker born in 1997 still maintains his form and is one of the best players in Vietnam, even when still participating in advertising activities regularly.
In the opposite direction, many names no longer maintained themselves. Nguyen Trong Dai lost his form, Ha Duc Chinh was just a "shadow" of himself after the 2018 tournament. Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung was also faint compared to the image of "Thang Chau hero" 8 years ago. In addition, a series of other young talents also "went off track" when they could not maintain absolute concentration on football.
This shows that the viewpoint of supporting or opposing players participating in non-professional activities has never been absolute. Each previous example reflects conflicting stories.
The most important thing is that players must keep their feet on the ground, understand the mutual relationship between performance on the pitch, fans' trust and commercial value.
If they can do that, Dinh Bac or Van Khang can follow in Quang Hai's footsteps. Otherwise, they will gradually fall into the past like the "early blooming and quickly fading" stars of Vietnamese football.
