The story of the Vietnamese-Polish player causing a "fever" in V.League

Happy to have grandmother "support"

On the evening of August 23, Damian Vu Thanh An celebrated his birthday 2 days early. Compared to the previous birthdays in Poland, this time was much more new, warm and meaningful for the overseas Vietnamese player. Next to the small birthday cake, Damian Vu Thanh An received applause and congratulatory songs from his whole family in Vietnam. In front of him were his grandmother, his uncle and relatives. A simple party but full of love, care and sharing. That is also what brought Damian Vu Thanh An happiness and motivation on his journey back to his hometown in Vietnam to play professional football.

The story of the Vietnamese-Polish player causing a — Damian Vu Thanh An and his grandmother at the contract signing ceremony with The Cong Viettel .

There is an interesting detail recently revealed by journalist Vu Manh Cuong - Damian Vu Thanh An's uncle, one of the motivations for this overseas Vietnamese to return to play football in the V.League is the affection from his grandmother. "At the end of 2022, when Damian Vu Thanh An left Hanoi to return to Poland to play football, his grandmother was the saddest person. Although she was not feeling well, she still insisted on going to Noi Bai airport to see her grandson off. When Damian and his brother were about to go through security, she held her two grandsons in both hands, tears in her eyes," Mr. Vu Manh Cuong shared.

“She said she would miss the two of them a lot, and that they would miss coming back to Vietnam to visit her. She said that, but she wasn’t sure. They were still young, still had jobs, still wanted to see the world , and she didn’t know when they would see their grandchildren again. But exactly two and a half years later, Damian returned. The day Damian returned, holding her in his arms, she still couldn’t believe that he was here, in Hanoi, right next to her. She looked up at the tall, handsome boy, smiling affectionately at her. So he really had returned.”

Mr. Vu Manh Cuong continued: “Her joy was even greater when she learned that her grandson's return to Vietnam this time was not just to visit her for a few days, but to stay for a long time. He wanted to try his hand at the V.League with a professional football club. During Damian's trial period at The Cong, she was restless. On one hand, she hoped that her grandson would try his best to be accepted, so that she could see him often. On the other hand, she was afraid that he would try too hard, in this hot weather, not used to the weather, and might get sick and suffer. Less than a month later, she received good news. The Cong decided to recruit Damian. So both grandmother and grandson's wishes came true.

Needless to say, she was very happy. She decided to travel all the way to The Cong headquarters in Hoa Lac to attend her grandson's contract signing ceremony. She also asked the club's leadership for permission to give a speech thanking the club and to say a few words to her beloved grandson. She did not forget that the two of them still had to rely on an interpreter to talk to each other every day. But she still reserved her most heartfelt words to tell her grandson. She told him to be humble and learn, to try harder, and not to let down the trust of the club's leadership, the coaching staff, and his family. "Damian did not bring an interpreter to the contract signing ceremony with Viettel. But he still listened attentively and understood everything she said. He understood her with his heart, he understood her with sincere love."

Ahead is the sky

It didn’t take long for Damian Vu Thanh An to make his V.League debut. In the second round of the match between The Cong Viettel and Cong An TP.HCM, coach Velizar Popov decided to put him on the field, in the context that his team controlled the game but only led by 1 goal.

“I brought him in to score goals,” Coach Popov calmly said about the decision to bring Damian Vu Thanh An in to replace striker Pedro Henrique. Remember, Damian Vu Thanh An is good at playing defensive midfielder. “Come in and play as a striker. Your job is to put pressure on the opponent’s defense,” Coach Velizar Popov of The Cong Viettel told his overseas Vietnamese student, to his own surprise.

“Okay, as you wish,” Damian Vu Thanh An regained his composure and confidently entered Hang Day Stadium when the clock struck 83 minutes. Just 2 minutes later, this player realized the mission from his teacher. From a long pass from goalkeeper Van Viet, the ball passed the Ho Chi Minh City Police defense line, which was pushing up. Taking that opportunity, Damian Vu Thanh An accelerated. He passed the control of the defender and goalkeeper of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club with a push up, before finishing into an empty goal, raising the score to 2-0 for The Cong Viettel.

Damian Vu Thanh An stood up, spread his arms wide and turned to the stands. This was a celebration in the style of star Jude Bellingham - a midfielder who also became a top scorer for Real Madrid. And maybe that was his dream, after a smooth start in the V.League.

“He did his job very well,” coach Velizar Popov expressed his satisfaction with the decision to use the player as well as the perfect response from Damian Vu Thanh An. That is obviously the basis for the player born in 2003 to have more motivation and confidence in the upcoming journey.

Waiting for the opportunity to attend SEA Games 33
Damian Vu Thanh An was born on August 25, 2003, about to turn 22. He grew up from the Polish youth team Olimpia Grudziadz II, then gradually entered the first team. On May 8, 2022, Damian Vu Thanh An had his first match for the Olimpia Grudziadz first team.
Since then, the midfielder born in 2003 has gradually built a solid position in the squad, becoming a mainstay of Olimpia Grudziadz. After a period of playing professional football in Poland, Damian Vu Thanh An returned to Vietnam and started at The Cong Viettel as he is now.
Damian Vu Thanh An's father is Vietnamese and his mother is Polish. Like Nguyen Filip and Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, the opportunity for this midfielder to receive Vietnamese citizenship in the near future is bright. However, this time is unlikely to happen before the 33rd SEA Games takes place in early December in Thailand. Therefore, the possibility that Damian Vu Thanh An meets the necessary conditions to be considered by coach Kim Sang Sik and placed in the U22 Vietnam squad for the regional sports festival is still open.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/chuyen-cua-cau-thu-viet-kieu-ba-lan-gay-sot-tai-v-league-i779164/