Why, Quang Hai?
Nguyen Quang Hai was a substitute for most of the time in the match Vietnam National Team won against Indonesia 3-0 in the ASEAN Cup 2026 group stage. Although standing outside the field, the midfielder born in 1997 still attentively watched, enthusiastically watched each situation and always showed the spirit of accompanying the team.
For 9 years since his first time wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey under coach Mai Duc Chung, Quang Hai has gone through many memorable milestones. He is one of the few players currently who has twice won the Southeast Asian championship, and also surpassed Le Cong Vinh to become the player who has worn the Vietnamese national team jersey the most in history with 84 matches at the age of 29.
Quang Hai's contributions to the success of the national team from 2015 to now are what tens of millions of Vietnamese fans see. But like every world football superstar, it cannot be the basis for Quang Hai to naturally start in every match.
It must be admitted that the best match of the Vietnamese national team in the group stage was the match where Quang Hai did not start. Against Indonesia, the midfield with Thanh Long, Hoang Duc and Xuan Manh, Hai Long on the sidelines made Thom Haye, Ivar Jenner or Marc Klok "turn off". Looking at it from a realistic perspective, coach Kim Sang-sik is having difficulty with Quang Hai. At Hanoi Police Club, this midfielder plays well when behind him are Le Pham Thanh Long and especially Stephan Mauk. Unlike Hoang Duc, who is calm, likes to control the tempo, and regulate in midfield, Mauk is strong and decisive. He receives the ball from Thanh Long, breaks into the opponent's half and creates a connection with Quang Hai.
When needed, Mauk can be a "cleaning" machine in midfield, supporting Thanh Long behind him. Thanks to that, Quang Hai not only operates more regularly near the opponent's penalty area, but also comfortably creates quick passes with Mauk or Leo Artur before penetrating the low formation from the opponent's team.
In the Vietnamese national team, the 2-center midfielder formation forces Quang Hai to operate wider, compete more, making it difficult for him to promote his technique, ability to create breakthroughs and his signature long-range shots.
Vietnam national team is not perfect
In addition to the objective reasons mentioned above, it must be admitted that Quang Hai himself has not yet reached his peak performance at the ASEAN Cup 2026. The proof is that in the match between Vietnam and Cambodia, Mr. Kim gave him the opportunity to play his forte, right winger.
Quang Hai's performance was not bad, but not enough to create a push. Throughout 79 minutes on the field, he touched the ball 53 times, making 39/42 accurate passes.
Quang Hai's problem will only be solved when he shines. That is also what world stars do before the "storm of criticism" pouring on themselves. In the position of captain, having a great influence on the team and a skill set that is considered excellent, Quang Hai is certainly still in the calculations of coach Kim Sang-sik in the crucial period. But more importantly, he must maximize the opportunities that the coaching staff gives him. It must be added that the Vietnamese team in fact did not play too well in the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026. In addition to the 3-1 victory over Indonesia, the "Golden Star Warriors" did not perform perfectly against Cambodia, Singapore or even the 7-0 victory over Timor Leste. Personally, no Vietnamese player has had a complete performance. Dinh Bac leads the scoring list but 5 goals were all scored against Cambodia and Timor Leste, while faint against Singapore, Indonesia. Xuan Son also no longer maintains the performance of the previous 2 years, missing many opportunities.
Quang Hai is facing much criticism after matches that have not lived up to expectations, but needs to be seen in the general context. He himself must also make more efforts to continue to affirm the leading role of the Vietnamese team.
