Legendary player 'Princess Son' releases memoir revealing hidden corners of his career

Football legend Nguyen Hong Son has just released a memoir about the glory and dark side of his career. He is one of the most talented and admired midfielders in the history of Vietnamese football.

“Hong Son ‘Princess’ – A soccer freak in a soldier’s uniform” is a book that records memorable memories throughout the childhood and career journey of more than 30 years of famous football player Hong Son, written by journalists Bao Thang-Cuong Vu. The book is jointly published by Lao Dong Publishing House and THBooks.

The book consists of 4 main parts: Childhood and first steps in the career; Glorious and bitter years; Hong Son and family; Hong Son in the eyes of friends, colleagues, and fans.

The former football star took nearly 7 years to launch his “brainchild”. Recalling the incubation process, he said: “The memoir will have everything about Hong Son, from how he loved football as a child, his career, how he got injured when he joined the national team, the treatment process. Then there are the stages of winning the Golden Ball and the Bronze Ball.”

Notably, the story of going to Germany for knee ligament surgery in 1996 was emotionally told by him and Mr. Vu Cong Lap, a veteran sports journalist.

Journalist Vu Cong Lap said: “I still remember at that time, I saw Hong Son on crutches receiving the medal and felt sorry. At that time, ligament reconstruction was completely unfamiliar to Vietnamese players. I had to ask someone to secretly take Hong Son's file to send to the doctor in Germany to see and they said he had to have surgery. Thanks to the attention of the The Cong team, the Vietnam Football Federation and Coach Karl Heinz Weigang, Hong Son was able to go to Germany for successful surgery.”

The book also recalls the incident of false rumors involving "boss" Nam Cam. This incident caused Hong Son to face many nightmares with countless doubts from family, friends...

On the evening of October 9, he had a book launch event in Ho Chi Minh City. The former player shared that he wrote the memoir to preserve memories and tell fans about his life, but he did not think it would create a buzz or become a bestseller.

Hong Son is one of the great sports figures of Vietnam, not only in football. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Hong Son was the most typical symbol, having the greatest influence on many generations who love Army football and the Vietnam national team.

Hong Son became a unique exception not only because he was the first sports name to “cross borders” since the 1995 SEA Games, but also because his everyday life and military life became an idol, having a profound influence on many generations.

The famous player born in 1970 was once a pillar of The Cong Club, he was also part of the "golden generation" of the 1990s. Now, Hong Son's name is noticed by fans through some big game shows, typically "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai" ./.