Cai Van Quy and his unfinished career at the age of 19.

Having caught the eye of coach Philippe Troussier, SLNA striker Cai Van Quy was forced to retire at the height of his career due to a lack of timely treatment for his injury.

"That was the hardest decision in my short playing career," Quy told VnExpress , after SLNA Club agreed to terminate his contract and allow him to retire.

Born in 2004, Quy is the youngest of two brothers in a farming family in Thai Hoa town, Nghe An province. In 2015, he joined the SLNA football academy. Thanks to his good physique and ability to shoot with both feet, Quy continuously developed, becoming a key player for SLNA's youth teams, winning the U11, U13, and U15 national championships.

In August 2019, Quỳ was the joint top scorer in the National U15 Championship and was called up by coach Đinh Thế Nam to the Vietnam U15 team to participate in the international U15 football tournament held in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu. In that tournament, Vietnam finished second behind South Korea, and Quỳ's name also rose to prominence with a goal against Russia and a brace against South Korea. "That was my most memorable tournament. Scoring against Russia – a team from Europe – gave me a special, very different feeling," Quỳ recounted.

Cai Van Quy celebrates after scoring the goal that helped Vietnam beat Russia 2-0 at the 2019 U15 International Tournament. Photo: Duc Dong

After the U15 international tournament, Quy was called up to the Vietnam U18 team for a short training camp by coach Philippe Troussier, who was then in charge of youth training for Vietnam, and was highly praised by the French strategist. Experts nicknamed Quy "King of Youth Tournaments," predicting that he would develop further, becoming a mainstay of SLNA as well as a key player in Vietnamese football for the next 10 years.

Returning to his club, Quỳ continued his impressive performances on multiple fronts. In late March to early April 2021, at the age of 17, Quỳ was a key player for SLNA in the U19 National Championship finals. In the second match against PVF, after a collision, Quỳ suffered an injury. Thinking it was only minor, he tried to continue playing, running for a few more minutes before collapsing and asking to be substituted. SLNA finished third in the tournament – ​​a respectable result, but for Quỳ, it marked the beginning of a series of tragic events.

Upon returning to Nghe An, Quy requested permission from the club's leadership to undergo a medical examination, but received no response. During this period, SLNA was experiencing turmoil at the top, with Chairman Nguyen Hong Thanh resigning and the team yet to find a sponsor. Quy paid for an MRI scan at an international hospital in Vinh City, where doctors diagnosed him with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg, requiring surgery for complete treatment.

Quỳ continued to request surgery from the leadership, but did not receive a positive response. He then returned to his hometown in Thái Hòa town to recuperate and self-treat for two months. In June of the same year, when an economic group took over SLNA, Quỳ and another colleague, Trần Văn Cường, were taken by the club to the Central Military Hospital 108 for surgery to repair their ligaments.

Cai Van Quy (center) during a recent training session at SLNA before his retirement. Photo: Provided by the subject .

Three days after the surgery, Quy returned home for two weeks, then proposed to the club that he be allowed to undergo rehabilitation at a center in Hanoi at a cost of 20 million VND per month. After two months, while Quy was on the path to rehabilitation, SLNA called him back to train on his own at the club. He often went jogging on the field to maintain his fitness and went to the gym to work on his muscles. In mid-2022, exactly one year after leaving the football field, Quy returned to training with his teammates.

"Because of the long break, I've lost all my feel for the ball, I don't dare to sprint or stretch. Sometimes I feel timid with the ball, afraid of collisions. My former aggressiveness is gone, my knees feel unstable," Quy said. "I can't understand why my physical condition has deteriorated so much. Maybe it's because I didn't receive physical therapy after ligament surgery, and the rehabilitation process wasn't systematic due to a lack of guidance."

Amidst career setbacks, Quỳ's family suffered a major tragedy at the end of 2022 when his father and maternal grandmother passed away. Receiving two consecutive shocks, Quỳ became depressed and lost all emotion. At this time, his older brother was in his third year of university, the family was struggling financially, and his mother had to work multiple jobs to support them. Quỳ considered quitting football to find another job to help the family. However, regretting the time he had spent training, he told himself to try one last time to see how far he could go.

In March, Quỳ was a member of SLNA's team participating in the U19 national qualifiers. However, he always had to play with a bandaged knee, limiting his contribution and often having to leave the field early, while his team also failed to reach the finals. After this tournament, realizing that he was no longer outstanding compared to his teammates of the same age, Quỳ decided to retire. He submitted a request to terminate his contract to the club's leadership and it was approved on August 31st.

The former SLNA youth player plans to study sports coaching after retiring from playing. Photo: Provided by the subject .

"Before considering retirement, I spent many sleepless nights tossing and turning. My father is a football fan, but unfortunately, I couldn't continue playing as he wished. My mother initially advised me to try, but after understanding my health condition, she let me decide for myself," Quy shared, adding that he had considered moving to other teams to try his luck, but due to SLNA's regulations requiring players to adhere to youth training contracts until the age of 24, he didn't dare propose it to the club's leadership.

Tran Dinh Tien, a former SLNA player, expressed regret that Quy had to retire at such a young age. "He was quiet, gentle, and had excellent football skills. It's a real shame for Nghe An football as well as Vietnamese football," he said.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nghia, Director of the SLNA Youth Football Training Center, also commented that Quy is a talented player but lacks the luck for top-level football. "After his injury, Quy couldn't train at a high intensity. When Quy and his family expressed their desire to terminate his contract, the club's leadership was very concerned and hesitant, but still had to create conditions for him to find a new path," Mr. Nghia said.

Quỳ recounted that when he returned from SLNA, his relatives and neighbors were all saddened. The 19-year-old former player will stay home for a while to recover his spirits and plans to apply to Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports to study sports coaching, specializing in football.

Duc Hung

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/cai-van-quy-va-su-nghiep-dang-do-o-tuoi-19-4653575.html