Tran Minh Toan is currently the number 1 choice of Binh Duong Club.
Tran Minh Toan is one of the new players of the Vietnam national team that coach Philippe Troussier called up at the beginning of his reign. However, many people do not know the origin of this goalkeeper and only a few die-hard fans of the 2014 U.19 Vietnam team remember this shy, quiet goalkeeper.
Born and raised in Tay Ninh , Tran Minh Toan is one of the two rare names from this border region, along with defender Tran Anh Thi, named in the U.19 Vietnam team led by coach Guillaume Graechen, with a series of famous young stars at that time such as Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, Van Toan, Van Thanh, Hong Duy, Duy Manh, Quang Hai...
That was the time when the goalkeeper born in 1996 left his hometown Tay Ninh for the first time to join the U.19 Vietnam team, creating a wave of fans across the country, competing with talented goalkeepers at that time, Phi Minh Long and Le Van Truong.
Tran Minh Toan was called up by Coach Giom (the nickname of Coach Guillaume Graechen) for the U.19 Southeast Asia tournament and the U.19 Nutifood friendly tournament at My Dinh Stadium, where he was given the opportunity to start in the 2-3 loss to U.19 Japan.
Minh Toan (27) with Van Truong (1), Minh Long (22) and goalkeeper coach Nguyen Hong Pham
It was a special experience when the Tay Ninh native was the first to start against a strong opponent like Japan in the middle of My Dinh Stadium, packed with 40,000 excited fans after Cong Phuong's solo goal against the Australian team in the opening match.
Later, Tran Minh Toan could not compete with two goalkeepers from big centers so he returned home, before being called up by coach Toshiya Miura to the Vietnam U.23 team to prepare for the 2015 SEA Games, but also packed his bags and returned to the club early.
Minh Toan's career turning point came in 2019, when his contract with Tay Ninh Club ended and he joined Saigon Club, officially receiving professional goalkeeper coach Hoang Duy to systematically train his every technical move.
Tran Minh Toan recalls: "It was right that I could not compete in the U.19 Vietnam and U.23 Vietnam teams because before that, I mostly caught the ball by instinct, because I practiced all by myself. At that time, I was still very "high".
Tran Minh Toan in the U.19 Vietnam team jersey
I still remember in the friendly match with Myanmar, I rushed out to catch the ball but somehow hugged the opponent's leg, causing the home team to be awarded a penalty. Luckily, later I played for Saigon FC with coach Hoang Duy and now at Binh Duong FC with "father" Canh guiding and training me, so I'm a little better."
In the Saigon FC jersey, Minh Toan only played twice in the National Cup, but it was enough for him to "catch the eye" of goalkeeper training expert, Coach Nguyen Duc Canh - the person who polished rough gems into stars like Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Van Toan...
In V-League 2023, Minh Toan came to Binh Duong Club as fate, when the Southeast team was in a goalkeeper crisis since Tan Truong left, on the contrary, it was also an opportunity for him to prove himself.
Thanks to good preparation, even though he just joined Binh Duong Club, Minh Toan immediately took the starting position in V-League 2023. Although the team was in a relegation race until the last minute, he was one of the few players in top form, with countless saves helping the former champion stay in V-League.
Tran Minh Toan is in the top goalkeepers with the most impressive performance in the past 2 seasons.
This season, Minh Toan is better protected thanks to the arrival of good defenders such as Ngoc Hai, Janclesio, Minh Trong, Duy Thuong. But on the contrary, he has to upgrade himself to adapt to the style of playing with a high formation and ball control.
"This year, Binh Duong Club has played more aggressively, pressing higher to attack more, so my task is also different because although the number of times the goal is threatened has decreased, I have to concentrate more. The goal conceded in the loss to Hanoi Club (Tuan Hai scored from a shot in his own half - PV) is a valuable lesson, helping me to wake up and improve myself further," Minh Toan shared.
Possessing a good physique (1.86 m tall with a long arm span), under the strict training of coach Duc Canh, the goalkeeper born in 1996 proved to be confident in blocking high balls as well as in face-to-face situations. Blooming late at the age of 27, he lived a bright spring, contributing to helping Binh Duong Club fly high to lead the rankings after the first 6 rounds of V-League 2023 - 2024.
Tran Minh Toan is trying to improve his ability to play football with his feet as required by coach Philippe Troussier to compete with other talented goalkeepers such as Dang Van Lam, Filip Nguyen, Nguyen Dinh Trieu... for a place in the Vietnam national team preparing for the 2023 Asian Cup. Everything is just beginning for this gentle but very persistent boy.
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