There is a reasonable reason to talk about Cong Phuong, once again. The day he returned from Japan and chose the First Division to "land" instead of the V.League, the striker from Nghe An caused a stir in public opinion. When performing well in the early stages of the season, the waves flooded with predictions and comments about the opportunity to return to the national team - the first time since 2023...
For some reason, that day has not yet come. There are both objective and subjective reasons, but in the end, fans still turn their attention to coach Kim Sang-sik - who once included the name of the Binh Phuoc Club striker in the preliminary list of the national team - to ask questions.
The Korean strategist himself did not confirm anything, but with the following developments - Xuan Son naturalized and shined, Tien Linh scored regularly at the 2024 ASEAN Cup - the story of Cong Phuong cooled down. Somewhere there were even thoughts that he did not need to rely on the former striker of Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
But then, things flared up again because of the following developments - Xuan Son suffered a long-term injury, Tien Linh disappointed in 2 matches during FIFA Days in March, while Cong Phuong continued to play well. And people look at Mr. Kim Sang-sik.
In fact, the 48-year-old coach does not distinguish between V.League or First Division - because the team still has Hoang Duc or Thanh Binh, but Cong Phuong's problem can be more sensitive. Because he has not been in the national team for a long time, because his playing time has been interrupted...
Therefore, it is not important that coach Kim Sang-sik affirms anything about Cong Phuong right now. Instead, if he really wants to return, the 30-year-old striker needs to make the most of the remaining 2 months of the season to maintain form, fitness, train endurance, endurance, as well as develop the playing style in a collective spirit, based on proactive individual skills that he is highly appreciated for.
30 years old is not the time for Cong Phuong to close the door of the national team. Unless there is an official statement from Mr. Kim Sang-sik.
