Is Phan Văn Đức past his prime?

From a collective club perspective, Phan Van Duc has been one of Vietnam's most successful players from 2023 to the present, with 4 titles, including two V.League championships (2023 and 2025/26), the 2024/25 National Cup, and the 2025 National Super Cup; but the individual aspect is a completely different story.

Van Duc has never returned to his best form since joining Hanoi Police FC.

Injury turning point

The injury on April 2, 2023, was a devastating blow to Van Duc's career. During the match between Khanh Hoa and CAHN in the National Cup, Duc suffered a second ligament tear and was sidelined for over 11 months. His performance plummeted completely after that unfortunate day.

Previously, in just one season in 2022, the former SLNA star scored 8 goals. That brilliant performance was proof of Van Duc's class, making him "the best player from Nghe An after Van Quyen and Cong Vinh," and simultaneously opening the door for him to join Hanoi Police FC.

But in the following four V.League seasons at his new club, Duc only scored 5 goals.

Last season, despite improved performance, Van Duc only played a reserve role at CAHN. According to Sofascore, the number 20 only started in a mere 6 out of 25 matches for the police team up to the end of round 25 of V.League 1 2025/26. Throughout the entire season, Van Duc only played 607 minutes. For comparison, his younger teammate Nguyen Dinh Bac played nearly 2,000 minutes in the V.League this season.

Alan Grafite, Leo Artur, Rogerio Alves, Le Van Do, and Dinh Bac in attack, Stefan Mauk and Nguyen Quang Hai in midfield – too many formidable opponents, too many challenges for Van Duc.

As for the national team, Van Duc's last call-up was in September 2024. For the past two years, the 2024 AFF Cup champion has been left out of almost all of the team's plans. With coach Kim Sang-sik having players like Nguyen Xuan Son, Do Hoang Hen, Nguyen Tai Loc, and Nguyen Dinh Bac, Van Duc's chances of being selected for the national team have become even slimmer.

Time is running out, but there's still a chance.

The young man who captivated countless fans at the 2018 AFC U23 Asian Championship is now 30 years old, a significant milestone in a man's life and also a time when many Vietnamese football stars are entering the twilight of their careers.

However, there is reason to believe that Van Duc will return. The three-year contract extension signed between the 1996-born star and CAHN in June 2025 is proof of that.

Since being promoted in 2023, with 4 titles and currently being the V.League champion, CAHN is a successful club with a strategic vision and investment capabilities. They wouldn't be foolish enough to use their budget to keep an ineffective player and pay their salary for another 3 seasons.

The decision to continue their partnership shows that CAHN still needs Van Duc, even though coach Polking already has many stars in the attacking line. The police team believes that Duc "Cot" can continue to play in a high-level and highly competitive environment. Van Duc himself is also confident in his ability to make a comeback.

The 30-year-old star's future performance and form remain a question mark, but Van Duc will do his best to regain his rightful place. "Next season, my biggest goal is to work hard, train well, and compete fairly for a starting position with my teammates. I will prove my abilities in each training session to impress, thereby gaining the trust of the coaching staff and being given more opportunities to play and contribute to the team," the 30-year-old shared after the 2-0 victory against Dong A Thanh Hoa on May 17th.