The sweet beginning of… 'Lamine Yamal mountain town'
HAGL defeated Quang Nam 4-0 away to lead the V-League 2024-2025 after the opening round. Although this is only a temporary top position, the start of coach Vu Tien Thanh and his team is still very impressive.
The mountain town team had to wait 9 years to enjoy the feeling of scoring 4 goals in the opening match. As for the top spot on the opening day, even with the sublime 2021 season with Kiatisak Senamuang, HAGL could not achieve it.
HAGL crushed Quang Nam in the opening match
And even more impressive than the pure victory, HAGL defeated Quang Nam thanks to a very young force such as Quoc Viet, Ly Duc, Hoang Minh, Van Trieu (all born in 2003). However, no one could be younger than Tran Gia Bao. The extremely strange name of HAGL made history when he debuted in V-League at the age of 16 and marked this milestone with a goal against Quang Nam.
In the second half's injury time, Gia Bao received the ball after a long-range shot from his teammate. The player born in 2008 calmly took a step forward, waited for the Quang Nam goalkeeper to run up and then skillfully chipped the ball, sealing a 4-0 victory for HAGL. Gia Bao became the youngest player to score in V-League history. On social media, many people jokingly called Gia Bao "HAGL's Lamine Yamal", as he broke the scoring record at a very young age. In short, that is a comparison for talented players beyond their years.
Tran Gia Bao is a strange name in Vietnamese football, but for those who follow youth football, the boy from Lam Dong is a name worth watching. Gia Bao was born in 2006, and has played for Vietnam U.15, U.16 and U.17.
At the 2024 Peace Cup friendly tournament in China, Gia Bao was part of the excellent U.16 Vietnam team that defeated U.16 Uzbekistan (3-0) and U.16 Japan (1-0) to win second place overall.
Tran Gia Bao's memorable debut
Gia Bao is not only tall (1.75 m), but is also highly regarded for his football thinking and tactical vision. The goal against Quang Nam showed some of Gia Bao's qualities, as the 16-year-old player handled the ball firmly and neatly, before choosing the right moment to "finish" his opponent. The young HAGL player is considered not to abuse technique, but to focus on playing effectively. This is not a simple thing for a young player.
HAGL and the game in the hands of young people
“I feel happy and joyful. Thank you to the coaches for supporting me so much in the past time. I will try my best to practice. This is a stepping stone for me to try harder,” Gia Bao replied after HAGL’s victory.
The departure of a series of key players after the 2022 season has urged HAGL to rejuvenate its squad. The mountain town team cannot bring in stars, but can only "cut their coat according to their cloth" with self-trained players.
The appointment of Mr. Vu Tien Thanh as head coach and academy director shows that HAGL wants to create a close link between the first team and the youth training system.
Last season, many young HAGL stars debuted in the first team. This season, when Chau Ngoc Quang and Dinh Thanh Binh are already seniors, new emerging young stars continue to appear. Although the rejuvenation does not simply come from strategy, but the current situation forces HAGL to trust the young stars, this is a good opportunity for the Pleiku team to introduce new faces to Vietnamese youth football.
With Tran Gia Bao and the freshness of teenage stars, this season HAGL has created many surprises.
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