Striker Nguyen Van Quyet dreams of Golden Ball award

Striker Nguyen Van Quyet is expected to take the title of Vietnamese Golden Ball for the first time in his career. (Photo bongda24h.vn)

The 29-year-old made great contributions to Hanoi FC last season, with five goals and eight assists in the National Cup, helping his side defend their title.

In the national premier league, he notched five goals and five assists to help the capital team finish second.

Taking a look at some more advanced statistics shows just how important Quyet was to his team.

As well as playing all 20 league matches in the season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Quyet had 55 key passes in the season to lead the league by nine.

Most tellingly, Quyet also participated in 20 out of the 37 attacks that led to a goal for Hanoi.

With these great contributions, Quyet overcame luminaries like Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Quang Hai and Bui Tien Dung to be named the league's top player and step towards winning the Golden Ball.

Gold dream

The Vietnamese Golden Ball award is the only individual title that is still missing in Quyet's illustrious career, though he took the Silver Ball in 2014 and 2015.

In fact, Quyet was very close to the Golden Ball award in 2017 and likely would have had it if Hanoi beat Quang Ninh Coal in the last match of the season to win the V.League 1 championship.

Unfortunately for Quyet, his side failed to win three points in the match and he was sent off, dashing his chances of winning the award.

Three years after that low point, Quyet has gone from strength to strength and plays with the wily nous of a veteran.

“I still wish to win the highest title of Vietnamese football, the Vietnamese Golden Ball, once. This year because the national teams don’t play because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is also an opportunity for footballers in domestic tournaments and I think I am among them,” said Quyet.

Firm stuff

In the quarter-finals of the National Cup on September 11, Hanoi beat Can Tho 7-0. In this match, the captain Quyet scored two goals but his fair-play was the image that left a mark.

In the 13th minute of the match, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai was brought down in the penalty area and Quyet scored the resulting penalty. Instead of celebrating, Quyet ran to console the Can Tho goalkeeper.

Through such small actions, Quyet has proven his leadership and proved he deserves to wear the captain's armband for his club.

Outstanding player

Born in 1991, when Quyet was just 15 years old, he trained at the The Cong football training centre and quickly proved his talent.

In 2009, The Cong was dissolved and transferred to Viettel. Then Quyet was moved to Hanoi T&T and played for the club in the V.League 2 in 2010 in which he scored eight goals.

Quyet quickly asserted his value with his smart play, speed and good technique in the V.League 1.

Not only that, but he was also the captain of the national U19 team that defeated Thailand to win the 2010 U21 International Football Championship of Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper. In the tournament, he was voted the best player.

During his career, he won the best young player of the country in 2010, 2011, was the top domestic scorer of the V.League 1 in 2012, the best player of V.League 1 2018 and in the best team of the V.League 1 in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Better still, after this season's exploits, Quyet has been called up by coach Park Hang-seo for the national team training camp in December, after a long period out in the wilderness.

It seems in 2020 everything Quyet touches turns to gold, and perhaps he'll be holding the Golden Ball before long./.

VNA