“Uncle, we did it” – with a tight hug, Duy Manh lifted SHB Chairman Do Quang Hien as if he wanted to satisfy all his feelings and spread the joy of victory.
If you look back at the photo of the Vietnamese team and Mr. Hien celebrating the championship, Duy Manh's eyes are always on that man.
A look filled with joy and happiness – the look of a warrior on the field.
Player Thanh Chung, another “child” from Hanoi Club, also ran to Mr. Hien, politely held his hand, filled with emotion. Other players Hai Long, Tuan Hai... were all the same. They shared the joy of victory and success with Mr. Hien SHB - the person who accompanied them from when they were children until they became the Golden Star Warriors. They did not forget where they came from.
The boys with heart have affirmed their level. The image at Rajamangala Stadium today, appeared at My Dinh in 2018, when Mr. Hien also lost his voice in extreme joy. Those are historical moments, not everyone can easily have once in a lifetime. That image also moved and touched the hearts of many people.
In the 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign, Mr. Hien's club contributed 5 players to the national team. No other club contributed more players than that. Not only now, in the most glorious years of Vietnamese football, Mr. Hien was one of the first to receive credit. For a long time, he determined that there was no more successful and sustainable path than investing in the future.
In this ASEAN Cup campaign, in layman's terms, "boss" Hien continues to "play big" when accompanying Vietnamese football. This is a very familiar story. Whenever money is needed, boss Hien generously opens his wallet and of course everyone knows Mr. Hien as someone who spares no expense when it comes to football.
Mr. Hien hired a plane to bring 600 fans and relatives of the players to Thailand to cheer on the Vietnamese team in the second leg of the final. His bank also awarded 2 billion VND for the ASEAN Cup championship.
So what made the businessman - the leader of a credit institution in the TOP 5 largest private banks in Vietnam become associated with the title of a football fanatic?
There are a few people like that in the world, such as Massimo Moratti, former President of Inter Milan, who spent a large part of his fortune to bring glory to the black-and-blue team. Mr. Moratti even had to pay out of his own pocket to cover Inter's losses for many years.
But more than just a money-maker, Mr. Hien's connection to football is multifaceted: he is an avid fan, a coach, a leader and even a scout.
Several times, when watching some unknown amateur tournament at the stadium of the Hoang Mai District Sports and Cultural Center, Mr. Hien appeared to watch a very normal match of the office football team SHB FC.
Then one day, people saw him at another amateur field, directly demonstrating to some female office players of SHB. Standing in the middle of the circle of players, Mr. Hien passionately talked about sportsmanship, and how he wanted the team to play. Like a coach conveying his will to his players.
Besides money and generosity, another question is also raised, why is the portrait of Mr. Hien with football always so vivid and different from a billionaire who simply spends money. And the answer is very simple: he has given away something more precious than money to a trillionaire businessman. That is time.
Mr. Hien has maintained this presence for more than two decades, as a persistent patron, not only appearing at major football stadiums and top matches in Vietnam, but also directly down to grassroots tournaments, where office workers play part-time for fun and health. In addition to the hundreds of billions invested in football, Mr. Hien also invested his attention, and his already very busy time.
Thanks to the reasonable, systematic and persistent investment of businessman Do Quang Hien, over the past decade, talented players such as Quang Hai, Hung Dung, Doan Van Hau, Thanh Chung, Duy Manh, the main factors that made up the achievements of Thuong Chau, the championship title of AFF Cup 2018, the semi-finals of Asian Games 2018, the quarter-finals of Asian Cup 2019, the third qualifying round of World Cup 2022 and 2 consecutive times winning the SEA Games Gold medal.
With a new generation of talent, Vietnamese football has broken out of the regional level and begun to dream big dreams. When the generation of players Duy Manh and Hung Dung were at their peak, the next generation was born, including Hai Long, Tuan Hai, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Van Tung, etc. They created continuity, ensuring the team always moved forward.
And the way of doing football from the root of the Chairman of SHB Bank has been recognized as a standard of professional football. The businessman with a burning and pure love for football carries within him the desire to bring the country's football to the region and continent. He chose the direction of sustainable development, building and training from the very talented young players of the country, even though that path requires a lot of time and money.
Thank you Mr. Hien for your presence. Money is important in football, but attention and enthusiasm are more important.
