K IMPORTANT CURVE OF LIFE

Tran Cong Minh was born in 1970 in Lai Vung District, Dong Thap. For the teenagers in the poor neighborhood of Lai Vung at that time, the greatest passion was football. The matches on the brick field and the rice fields became the place to nurture the passion in Cong Minh's future career. With his agile, skillful feet and fast dribbling, the young man Tran Cong Minh could "balance" 2 or 3 seniors a few years older than him at the same time.

PHOTO: DOCUMENT

Few people know that Tran Cong Minh did not initially choose to play football. His family wanted him to finish high school and then pursue a career in education. Cong Minh passed the entrance exam to Dong Thap Pedagogical College (Physical Education Department), with the intention of returning to his hometown to become a physical education teacher after graduation. However, fate turned Cong Minh to a different choice.

The saying "if it's gold, it must shine" is very true for Tran Cong Minh's career. Experts soon recognized the natural talent of the student with a very gentle face. It was his whirlwind runs on the right wing when playing for the school's football team that helped Cong Minh get noticed by Dong Thap Club. The professional contract was signed, bringing the boy from Lai Vung into an important turning point in his life. Cong Minh joined Dong Thap Club at a time when the team had "freaks" like Tran Thanh Nhac, Trinh Tan Thanh or Huynh Quoc Cuong. At that time, football in the West was in the rising stage, the race for official positions was very fierce. Cong Minh also had to make great efforts to appear in the starting lineup. And just like that, his career opened a new page.

Tran Cong Minh elevates the right-back position into an art form.

Compared to other famous players of the same era, Cong Minh does not have the solid and muscular qualities of Le Huynh Duc, nor is he the type of player who makes everyone exclaim with just one move like Hong Son "Princess". Cong Minh is talented in a different way and along with his talent is a perseverance and patience that is... scary. The Dong Thap boy not only defends well, marks people extremely well and is flexible, but also has whirlwind-like runs on the sidelines. Whether he played on the field as a child, then moved to Dong Thap Club and stepped into the Vietnam national team, his style has not changed.

PHOTO: DOCUMENT

Cong Minh raised the right-back position to an art form, with his extremely fast footwork and dribbling. Fans jokingly said that at one time, grass was hard to grow on the right sideline at Cao Lanh Stadium (Dong Thap), because Cong Minh ran too hard. The defender born in 1970 was an all-rounder, and according to the former head of the delegation Duong Vu Lam of the Vietnam national team: "Cong Minh was one of the best full-backs, playing fiercely, going up and down the sideline tirelessly. Cong Minh was the most outstanding at that time in Dong Thap, and then the national team."

Cong Minh played for the Vietnam national team in 1995, among a group of talented players who created the "golden generation" such as Vo Hoang Buu (Saigon Port team), Le Huynh Duc (Ho Chi Minh City Police team), Nguyen Hong Son (The Cong team) or Nguyen Huu Thang (SLNA). Cong Minh gradually affirmed his value, then was given the captain's armband of the Vietnam national team thanks to his exemplary, disciplined lifestyle and his passion to the point that coach Alfred Riedl once said "if every player is like Cong Minh, the Vietnam national team will not have to fear anyone".

SHOES IN THE TRASH

Playing in the right-back position is not as prominent as a central midfielder or striker, but Cong Minh has "nailed" his name here, with such certainty and trust that every coach automatically assumes that the right wing is only for Dong Thap's runner. Cong Minh's most memorable goal in the Vietnam national team's jersey was a cross-angle shot into the roof of the Myanmar team's net at the 1996 Tiger Cup, at Singapore's Jurong Stadium. That was a period when the Vietnam national team was under pressure, especially after the draw with Laos in the group stage. Therefore, a big win against Myanmar, along with Cong Minh's rare lightning shot, was a relief. That year, the Vietnam national team won the bronze medal. Two years later, the team won the silver medal at the 1998 Tiger Cup.

PHOTO: SAIGON GIAI PHONG NEWSPAPER

Up to this point, former player Tran Cong Minh is still the defender with the most individual achievements in Vietnamese football. He won the Golden Ball of Vietnam in 1999, before that the Silver Ball of Vietnam in 1996, the Bronze Ball in 1997 and 1998. He created a standard "wall" that the next generation of defenders have not been able to overcome.

There is an interesting memory about Tran Cong Minh. In 1995, when the Vietnamese team trained in Switzerland to prepare for the 18th SEA Games, the team was honored to be welcomed by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA). At the FIFA headquarters, Mr. Sepp Blatter, then FIFA Secretary General, asked about the team, then offered to give shoes to the players. Those were extremely high-quality ADIDAS pairs, the 6-stud and 13-stud types. The whole team was delighted with the shiny shoes, which were very light on the feet. However, Cong Minh and Huu Dang were used to wearing the old shoes, so they secretly hid from coach Karl Heinz Weigang, replacing the soles of the shoes that FIFA gave them with another sole to get used to them. Mr. Weigang found out, scolded his students and threw the shoes in the trash, but Cong Minh still... took them out to wear, making the German coach only smile.

Despite his illustrious playing career, Tran Cong Minh's coaching career was not very smooth. He took charge of Dong Thap Club from 2003 to 2006, then led Dong Tam Long An as interim coach in the 2008 season. Cong Minh's Long An team played well when they finished second, only 2 points behind champion Binh Duong. In 2009, Cong Minh took on the role of official coach. After that, he left Long An and in 2015 joined the Vietnam national team as "deputy general" for Japanese coach Toshiya Miura. In 2016, Cong Minh returned to Dong Thap Club, but could not stop the decline and the team was relegated with only 1 win after 26 matches. This was also the last time Cong Minh took charge of a V-League team. Over the past 9 years, he has moved on to other roles such as teaching community football, working for a youth academy...

Tran Cong Minh's career has had its ups and downs, giving him invaluable experiences. As for the Vietnamese audience, everyone has witnessed a memorable Tran Cong Minh. The former player born in 1970 has created an indelible image of one of the best defenders in the history of Vietnamese football. (continued)