'The Irrigation Team will definitely win'

After nearly 50 years of pursuing his passion for football, Mr. Cao Minh Si (65 years old, in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) is now no longer strong enough to play on the field, but he still watches big and small football matches in the city.

From videos on the YouTube channel of Thanh Nien Newspaper, he learned about the Vietnam Youth Student Football Tournament and rode his motorbike alone from Thu Duc City to Ton Duc Thang Stadium (HCMC) to watch all the matches.

Cựu trung vệ U.70 không bỏ trận nào giải sinh viên: ‘Đội Thủy lợi thể nào cũng vô địch’- Ảnh 1. — Mr. Cao Minh Si is a loyal supporter of the Vietnam student football tournament.

"I ride my motorbike from Thu Duc up here every day to watch, until it's all gone. Next year, if there's an organization and I can still go, I'll go, until I can't go anymore. I'm addicted!", Mr. Si excitedly shared.

Mr. Si revealed that he "fell in love" with the king sport since he was 15 years old and regularly participated in football matches in and outside Dong Thap province.

65-year-old former midfielder watches student football: 'So addicted, never misses a match'

More than 5 years ago, due to health problems, he had to retire from the football field as a player and since then has become an enthusiastic fan of football matches of all sizes in Ho Chi Minh City.

Cựu trung vệ U.70 không bỏ trận nào giải sinh viên: ‘Đội Thủy lợi thể nào cũng vô địch’- Ảnh 2. — Mr. Si used to be a central defender who "swept" many football fields in and outside Dong Thap province.

Closely following the developments of the match between the Danang University of Sports and Van Lang University on the afternoon of March 19, 2024, Mr. Si highly appreciated the quality of this year's players and also praised the Thuy Loi University team.

"I like watching football, I only support good teams, not any particular team. These student players are of good quality. The quality is OK. The team from the University of Water Resources in the North is there, that team will definitely win the championship!", the 65-year-old former center back affirmed.

Cựu trung vệ U.70 không bỏ trận nào giải sinh viên: ‘Đội Thủy lợi thể nào cũng vô địch’- Ảnh 3. — Mr. Si has high expectations for the Thuy Loi University team to win the championship.

Mr. Si commented: "This student tournament is very well organized. In general, it should be organized every year like this to create a movement for young people today. Playing soccer is good, it unites people, it's physical, and it's fun. It's fun and healthy!"

Cựu trung vệ U.70 không bỏ trận nào giải sinh viên: ‘Đội Thủy lợi thể nào cũng vô địch’- Ảnh 4. — Mr. Si follows the match schedule carefully so as not to miss any match of the tournament.

The 2nd Vietnam Youth Student Football Tournament - 2024 THACO Cup has proven its appeal and strong influence when attracting many audiences, not only students, but also connecting hearts with the love of football. People like Mr. Si accidentally saw their youth again through the fiery matches at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium.