Love at the right time
That is a funny way of speaking, but it is enough to describe the great love for Man United of many Vietnamese football fans.
There are teams that are loved for their victories, teams that are remembered for their beauty in playing style and there are also teams that become part of the memories of a generation. Man United is a rare case of gathering all 3 together, even the team nicknamed "Red Devils" is a cultural phenomenon.
The team's history is a long time ago, with the starting point from the Manchester industrial zone facing a slump after World War II. The small team named Newton Heath formed and gradually transformed into a symbol of English pride. They went through many ups and downs and pain (the Munich plane crash tragedy in 1958) and then revived from the ashes.
But historically, for Vietnamese fans, it was only learned after being "soaked" in what happened in the 90s of the last century. Have fans of the 7x and 8x generations ever wondered if, at that time, the national championships of Spain, Italy, Germany, France would come to Vietnam first instead of the Premier League, would the love for the "Red Devils" in the S-shaped country be as great as it is now?
English football and Man United came to Vietnam at the right time when international football was still a luxury on Vietnamese television at that time. It is because Sir Alex Ferguson created a singing voice, with the "Ghost" both beautiful on the pitch and rich in achievements - 13 Premier League titles, 2 Champions League, a series of other trophies. But the bigger legacy is the spirit of fighting until the last minute, the concept of Fergie time that the whole football world must remember. For fans, those were not just extra minutes, but proof of the belief that the Red Devils never give up.
That is why, since Sir Alex left the chair (2013) it has been 12 years, the feeling of anxiety about Man United "returning to the old days" still exists. But, it is undeniable that the interest in the Old Trafford team has never Failed to Dinance. For more than 10 years, each MU match has been analyzed and controversial more than any other team. Because, as I said, Man United is an indelible memory.
Love is not betrayal
In Vietnam, the love for the "Red Devils" can be considered a social phenomenon. More than 3.8 million people follow the MU fanpage on Facebook - ranking fourth in the world.
The MUSVN Official fans Association has existed for more than 20 years, with nearly 30 branches from North to South, operating regularly, connecting through each offline session, each night watching football. They printed their own shirts, made banners, donated to charity, and organized to watch big matches together. For them, Man United is not just a club, but a family.
Earlier this year, when legends such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Teddy Sheringham arrived in Da Nang as part of the Vietnam-UK Football Festival, thousands of fans filled Hoa Xuan Stadium. The silver-backed roofs have been with the years, or the boys are still in primary school, all wearing red shirts. In the crowd, people still recognize the sparkling eyes of those who witnessed Ole Solskjær's goal at Camp Nou 1999 or Scholes' long-range shot against Barcelona in 2008...
What makes Man United special is not only their glorious past or a huge treasure trove of titles. It is also the ability to make people feel connected, a connecting cable that cannot be cut. Not many teams make the whole world constantly discuss like MU. Winning or losing, being happy or sad, being proud or being teased, the term "betrayal" does not appear in any real Manucians.
