"The poor meet the poor"
This is not a golden time for the Vietnamese team or Quang Hai. In the past 11 months, fans have witnessed many failures of the national team, being eliminated from the group stage of the Asian Cup and stopping at the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
After Troussier left, his successor Kim Sang-sik also experienced a challenging half year. Apart from a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Philippines on his debut day, the Korean coach did not have any positive results with the Vietnamese team.
On the other hand, Nguyen Quang Hai is no longer at his peak as in the 2018-2021 period. In 2024 alone, he only scored 5 goals for the Hanoi Police Club and the Vietnam national team.
In the 2024-2025 season alone, despite playing in all 9 matches for the police team in the V.League, Quang Hai has not scored any goals. At the national team level, Quang Hai's image as a reserve appears more often than before. The last time Vietnam drew 0-0 with India, the midfielder born in 1997 was only on the field for the last 20 minutes.
Quang Hai needs to prove his worth
Faced with unsatisfactory results and lackluster performances over the past year, coach Kim Sang-sik has taken drastic measures to overhaul the Vietnamese team. Many veteran players such as Nguyen Cong Phuong, Que Ngoc Hai, and Do Hung Dung were not called up due to declining fitness and form.
In the context of many key players not being present for various reasons, the 48-year-old strategist still needs a "locomotive" with enough courage and qualifications to lead the team on the field. Quang Hai is one of the faces that coach Kim Sang-sik is looking forward to, along with Hoang Duc and Tien Linh.
Mr. Kim has a reason to choose Quang Hai. In terms of class, this player has played brilliantly, helping the U23 and Vietnam national team achieve great success in the period 2018-2020. He himself has been and is the captain of the club level and the Vietnam youth team in each specific period.
Compared to Ngoc Hai or Hung Dung, Quang Hai is not so excellent in the ability to call out and motivate teammates with words. However, through actions, observation and improvisation, the midfielder born in 1997 always receives the trust of the "satellites" around him.
Quang Hai himself also needs the trust of coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnamese team in his journey to find himself again.
At the AFF Cup 2022, Quang Hai failed to show his ability, marking a long slide in Quang Hai's career. He also lost the opportunity to play at Pau FC (France), no longer maintaining the high-class image he had shown in the previous period.
As soon as he returned to V.League, Quang Hai lacked the explosiveness in dribbling, creating or finishing. Invisibly, this player also lost his position in the Vietnam national team.
After all, the Vietnamese team needs a shining Quang Hai in the journey towards the goal of reaching the final of the AFF Cup 2024. On the contrary, the 27-year-old midfielder also needs the trust of coach Kim Sang-sik in the role of "locomotive" leading the play for the whole team.
