When Cong Phuong reached his early thirties, many others immediately thought of the “late afternoon” of their careers. Not only Cong Phuong, but most Vietnamese players are put into this state as soon as they enter their thirties. Understandably, many problems in domestic football cause the “lifespan” of Vietnamese players’ careers to be short. There have been many cases of players retiring at the age of 33-34, and very few players can play until after the age of 35.
On average, Cong Phuong may have about 4 more years before retiring. Of course, Cong Phuong's case is not typical, he is mentioned because of the recent low period of his career (too few opportunities to compete in Japan), now he has returned to Vietnam and competes in the First Division. The problem is, why is it still the default thinking that 30 years old is "late afternoon"? The age of 30 may be the beginning of the second half of a career but it cannot be "late afternoon", especially in this era, when science, technology, professionalism, and nutritional quality can ensure athletes to prolong their careers.
The world still has Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Lionel Messi... playing at their peak when they are very close to 40 years old, while there are also stars who only retire when they are over 40 years old. In particular, there is "old man" Miura Kazuyoshi (Japan) - the best player in Asia in 1993, still playing at the age of 57...
If Vietnamese players cannot reach that threshold, then at least they need to maintain their form and fitness at the age of 35-36 like Trong Hoang is now. For Vietnamese players, almost every time they turn 30, they are judged that "the chance of being in the national team gradually decreases". But at the age of 30, for the first time in the national team, Doan Ngoc Tan showed his perseverance. Nguyen Van Quyet has the strength and ability to play at the top level at the age of 33, but it is a pity that he decided to leave the national team...
Also on Cong Phuong's birthday, Novak Djokovic, 37 years old, came from behind to defeat Carlos Alcaraz, 21 years old, in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open... Maybe, tennis is different from football, but what I want to say here is that, at a certain stage, the experience of senior players is still very necessary, when the younger generation is not yet "mature" enough.
Furthermore, in the new era, each player and athlete needs to train themselves to prolong their career and serve the national team. Unless they think that is enough. And so, Cong Phuong still has a chance, if he still has the desire to contribute and change.
