That victory helped South Korea have a 3-match streak turning European representatives into their "defeated generals" in the World Cup finals, after Germany (2018) and Portugal (2022). At the same time, Japanese football - after defeating both Germany and Spain in 2022 - continues to make a strong impression with victories against Brazil, England, Scotland and Iceland recently. The Japanese are no longer afraid to declare their dream of winning the world championship.
Those imprints did not fall from the sky. It is the result of the process of accumulation, serious work from the foundation and the most basic things of the training and management system. Their dream has been stratified to another level. It is no longer how to get tickets, but how to play and go far when they have participated.
Looking at the East Asian giants to look back at Vietnamese football. We are still struggling with the dream of winning a ticket to the World Cup but cannot escape the so-called "thinking".
The stark truth is that if the core inside - from the quality of the domestic league, the youth training system, professional management thinking, to even those who dare to speak frankly - is not improved, then everything superficial outside is just meaningless. Even building new, modern stadiums with huge capacity, it is just a "coat" covering the internal problems.
Suppose one day, the World Cup is brought to Southeast Asia - there was once an idea of 4 countries allied to race to host, Vietnamese football will obviously have a spot to participate as the host. But if you step out to the big sea with a beautiful shirt but the value inside is not commensurate, it only makes people think of not very positive prospects.
Dreams also have stratification. Some people dream to have a goal to act on, but there are also types of dreams that are only to satisfy a temporary illusion. Once you dream, you must do it, and you must do it for real. Creating a solid foundation, dreams can go up to any level!
