An unexpected wedding scene.
In early March 2025, Thanh Hoa FC announced their departure from coach Velizar Popov. Many were surprised by the decision from the Thanh Hoa team. Although they went 10 matches without a win in 2025, Popov had at least led Thanh Hoa to a double National Cup win and one National Super Cup victory in his two previous seasons in charge.
Coach Popov unexpectedly joined The Cong Viettel .
Nevertheless, Coach Popov accepted the decision from Thanh Hoa FC. The parting of ways was amicable and professional. The Bulgarian strategist spent more than a month with his wife and children, as well as with friends, following football matches from the First Division to the V.League. At this time, many rumors are circulating about Coach Popov agreeing to coach Phu Dong Ninh Binh FC after the team is promoted to the V.League 2025/2026.
Popov himself hinted that two Vietnamese clubs had contacted him shortly after he left Thanh Hoa. He also prioritized staying in Vietnam, given that his family life in Hanoi was stable. But everything went wrong. Or perhaps it was the sudden resignation of coach Nguyen Duc Thang as head coach of The Cong Viettel that created the butterfly effect.
An offer from a military representative was immediately "express-delivered" to Mr. Popov. Just half a day after the news broke that Coach Duc Thang was leaving his position as head coach, the news of Coach Popov agreeing to lead The Cong Viettel was widely reported in mainstream media. The military team's media also quickly updated information about the new head coach from Europe. Accordingly, Mr. Popov will be with The Cong Viettel until the end of the 2026/2027 season, instead of a temporary fix as many had previously predicted.
That unexpected turn of events has fueled speculation that Popov's move to Phu Dong Ninh Binh was a failure. It remains to be seen how the butterfly effect will unfold in the future, but at least Popov will remain in Vietnam and lead The Cong Viettel Club, with a contract extending for another two seasons.
Based on his abilities and coaching style, Coach Popov is expected to help The Cong Viettel achieve two things in the immediate future. Firstly, to compete for a high ranking in the V.League and to strive to conquer the National Cup. Secondly, he will help the military team open up a more attractive, dynamic, and powerful attacking style, replacing the pragmatic counter-attacking defensive approach of his predecessor, Duc Thang.
Efficiency and waiting
One week after signing a contract with his new team, The Cong Viettel, coach Popov made an absolutely spectacular debut. He led the team to a 6-0 victory over Da Nang. Admittedly, the bottom-ranked team from Da Nang was weak defensively. But no other match in the 2024/2025 V.League season has ever had such a six-goal difference as the way Popov's The Cong Viettel crushed Da Nang. Coach Popov also made history by placing The Cong Viettel's 6-0 win against Da Nang in the top 10 of the biggest wins in the 25-year history of the V.League.
“I am very pleased with the players. They performed very well tactically in attack. The players applied the tactics correctly in recent training sessions. I haven't worked with the team for long. My key is to maintain a positive spirit. The whole team must strive to win the ball back immediately after losing possession,” Popov frankly shared after The Cong Viettel's 6-0 victory.
Beyond a resounding victory, the more valuable aspect that people were expecting from Coach Popov began to emerge: his ability to unlock the potential and hone the skills of Vietnamese football talents within the Viettel Sports Club. As one of the clubs with the most reputable and well-structured training academies in the country, Viettel Sports Club has produced a number of talented players. For example, in their first team currently competing in the V.League, Coach Popov has players born in 2000 or later, such as Huu Thang, Tuan Tai, Van Khang, Thanh Binh, Tuan Phong, Hong Phuc, Manh Hung, Cong Phuong, Danh Trung, and Dang Duong.
Most of the aforementioned players were fielded by coach Popov in the opening match. Among them, Van Khang and Huu Thang shone, directly scoring goals. Meanwhile, Phan Tuan Tai was kept on the bench until the end of the match by the European strategist. Huu Thang is a skilled player. He continuously played for the Vietnamese youth national teams from 2016 to 2022. However, after finishing his youth career, the slender player from Hue did not have the opportunity to play for the senior national team.
Over the past three years, Coach Popov has also been eyeing Huu Thang. He admitted that he really wanted to sign the player when he was coaching Thanh Hoa, but without success. “I’ve known Huu Thang since 2019 when I was coaching Myanmar and he was playing for the Vietnam U23 team. When I was coaching Thanh Hoa, I really wanted to buy Huu Thang, but of course, The Cong Viettel Club didn’t agree. I think everyone understands how great Huu Thang’s potential is.”
Fans are eagerly awaiting Coach Popov's efforts to unlock Huu Thang's potential, just as he helped Thai Son and Doan Ngoc Tan shine before joining the Vietnamese national team. Simultaneously, with this demanding strategist's "physical training" style, Vietnamese football fans are also hoping that Phan Tuan Tai and Khuat Van Khang will become stronger, more physically fit, and more energetic than their current frail physiques.
Indirectly helping coach Kim Sang-sik
Van Khang and Tuan Tai were once key players for the Vietnamese national team under coach Philippe Troussier. The French coach clearly saw the potential and talent of the pair from The Cong Viettel. However, limitations in physical fitness and strength led to disappointment for these two players. Van Khang received a foolish red card in Vietnam's loss to Iraq in the final match of the 2023 Asian Cup. Meanwhile, Tuan Tai's good game sense couldn't compensate for his physical weaknesses.
That's the task Coach Popov needs to solve. If he can help these players become like Ngoc Tan or Thai Son, The Cong Viettel Club will obviously benefit. In addition, Coach Kim Sang-sik of the Vietnamese national team will also gain more quality personnel on the left wing.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/hanh-trinh-moi-cua-ong-popov-i767256/
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