“The first day I played football was at Viettel Sports Center, which at that time was still practicing on the artificial field of the Vietnam Football Federation. At first, I went barefoot, only wearing a pair of canvas shoes worth tens of thousands of dong. My friends wore studded shoes, but I didn’t have any,” Doan Ngoc Tan recalled the story to Lao Dong.
15 years ago, Doan Ngoc Tan left his hometown of Son Tay, Hanoi with a burning dream of football. For now, his parents do not have to worry about food or schooling for their son. The football environment in the army also makes the family feel secure.
But things weren’t that simple. The canvas shoes were not suitable for soccer practice, and Ngoc Tan’s family didn’t have enough money to buy “genuine” shoes for their son. The midfielder had no choice but to ask his father to buy him a pair of “fake” shoes. At that time, 400,000 VND was not a small amount of money for a family that was still struggling.
However, the family’s care and Doan Ngoc Tan’s efforts were not enough to help his career become less bumpy. While training at The Cong Viettel, the midfielder born in 194 had to move to Mr. Long’s Hoa Phat training center. When this team was dissolved, Tan “op” moved to Hanoi ACB and once again… dissolved.
“To be honest, at that time my father said he would lend me money to go to Korea to work as an export laborer. I was also worried and wavered a lot because the football path was too difficult, or I should quit. But then, I immediately refused because I was still very passionate, only accepting to be away from my family for football.
After a while, coach Dang Phuong Nam called me back to The Cong Viettel to practice and then compete in the National Second Division. After that, I and some players moved to Hai Phong to sign a contract. In 2016, I played in Ho Chi Minh City and brought the team up to the league. In 2017, I returned to Hai Phong to play and then transferred to Thanh Hoa," Ngoc Tan recalled.
In fact, Doan Ngoc Tan played well in Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa but he was only considered a “common” contract. However, Mr. Doan still considered this player a “rare commodity” because of his responsible playing spirit and willingness to devote himself.
It was not until coach Velizar Popov arrived in Thanh Hoa that Doan Ngoc Tan had a remarkable development in his expertise and was called up for the first time to the Vietnam team for the ASEAN Cup 2024.
Contrary to what many people think, Ngoc Tan is completely confident in his chances of playing: “At first, I just wanted to stay in the team, then I wanted to be a substitute. After a period of training, I was eager and ready to start. By the end of the tournament, I believed and felt that the Vietnamese team could win the championship.”
Ngoc Tan said that everything was like a dream for the 30-year-old player who was first present at a national team level. But that dream is over, Ngoc Tan started a new journey with his home club and "burned" for the peak days of his career.
