However, in all 3 matches - with nearly 300 minutes, Thuy Trang did not play a single moment. As the player born on August 8, 1988 shared, she "worked hard and fought hard to help the team win a ticket to the World Cup for the first time in history", so everyone thought that she deserved to breathe the atmosphere of the World Football Festival in a real way.
That year, Thuy Trang was 34 years old. Coach Mai Duc Chung later explained his decision as a "professional matter". And recently, the 2024 Vietnam Women's Golden Ball - at the age of 36, shared that if she became a coach in the future, she would always create conditions for the players to play, just meeting the requirements of expertise and fitness.
But is it that simple? Is it true to criticize Mr. Chung when we are outsiders? People are a complex "made machine", but human psychology is more complex. There are always chaos when faced with choices. Perhaps, Mr. Chung, like most Vietnamese fans, clearly understands that, in terms of class, the Vietnam Women's Team is located very far behind the opponents, so it will come with the mentality of rubbing, learning and everyone can play.
The problem is, over time, expectations will change, so that psychology changes and plans also change. It is very possible that for Mr. Chung, he has a plan for Thuy Trang, but the closer it gets to the end, the greater the expectation for a goal, and for a player who is 34 years old, the lower the chance will be for young players when having to play with opponents who are physically superior.
Maybe, one day Thuy Trang - and anyone, will be in such a situation to better understand reason and emotion. The problem is that no matter what you choose, you still have to move forward, as Thuy Trang did... And life is not unfair to her!
