Cong Phuong returns to Vietnam national team, teammates have special request

Cong Phuong's hairstyle before Asian Cup 2019. Photo: Bao Ngoc.

"I'm just really waiting to see what hairstyle Cong Phuong will show off in the upcoming national team training session," Que Ngoc Hai commented on Nguyen Cong Phuong's post on social media. Responding to his teammate, Cong Phuong humorously commented: "Which hairstyle do you like so I can prepare."

Last week, coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of Vietnam national team and Nguyen Cong Phuong officially returned. He has been absent since December 2023 and was eliminated right before the 2024 Asian Cup due to injury. Due to his somewhat declining performance since moving to Japan to play football, coach Trousiser and Mr. Kim Sang-sik have not called up Cong Phuong for over a year.

Over the years, Cong Phuong has constantly changed his hairstyle when playing for the national team. In 2016, he had a "spiky haircut" and had hair less than 2cm long. After that, Cong Phuong had curly hair. At times, the Nghe An native grew his hair long. In 2019, Cong Phuong dyed his hair and debuted this hairstyle when he went to play in Belgium.

The striker born in 1995 performed convincingly when he returned to Vietnam to compete. In Binh Phuoc , he was the center of the Southeast team's playing style. Near the end of the season, Cong Phuong scored 7 goals - leading the list of top scorers with teammate Luu Tu Nhan and had 3 more assists. It was the matches in the First Division that brought Cong Phuong back to the Vietnam national team.

"I don't set my goals too high or make any big promises, I just try my best and be serious in every training session. If I get to play, I will give everything I have to the team. I received the news of being called up with calmness and responsibility, after a while I looked back, trained and prepared better both physically and mentally.

I understand that returning to the national team is an opportunity and I need to make more efforts to respond to the trust of the coaching staff and fans. I don't know much about coach Kim Sang-sik because I haven't had the opportunity to work directly with him, but when the coach comes to watch, it shows his concern and motivation for the players," Nguyen Cong Phuong said.

The Vietnamese team will gather from May 30 and play a match against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.

Source: https://znews.vn/cong-phuong-tro-lai-tuyen-viet-nam-dong-doi-yeu-cau-dac-biet-post1555778.html