Thanh Nga

At 29, Nguyễn Trọng Đại is looking for a job. It is a difficult situation to associate with a player who was once regarded as one of the most promising talents in Vietnamese football.

Đại was captain of the Việt Nam U19 team and part of the squad that qualified for the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup. He was later included in the U23 Việt Nam squad that finished as runners-up at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China, when the team returned home to a heroes’ welcome.

For a young player, it was a strong start. But his career did not develop as many had expected. Đại has posted on social media asking if anyone knew of a suitable job for him. He was not asking for big money. He said he wanted to work and earn a living on his own.

The post attracted attention partly because of the distance between where he once stood and where he is now.

Đại has spoken openly about what went wrong. He admitted that he lost control of his finances and became involved in gambling. What began with an attempt to recover money eventually led to bigger losses. He also acknowledged mistakes in his lifestyle and professional choices.

“I do not blame anyone. Those were my choices and I have to take responsibility,” he said.

There is little point in avoiding that part of the story. A player can be given opportunities, but he still has to decide what to do with them. Being a national youth team player does not guarantee a long career. Neither does early fame or a good contract.

Đại's career included spells at several clubs, but he struggled to establish himself as a regular at the highest level. His career was further affected by injuries. He recently suffered a ligament injury and was unable to continue playing. At the same time, his family faced another serious problem when his mother was diagnosed with cancer.

These are circumstances that cannot simply be put down to bad decisions. But they do not erase the decisions that came before them, either.

That is what makes Đại's case worth looking at beyond sympathy for a former young star who has fallen on hard times.

Young footballers are trained to play football. They are taught how to train, compete and improve their skills. But that does not always prepare them for a professional career off the pitch.

Once a young player starts earning more money and attracting attention, he also has to make decisions about clubs, playing time, contracts, relationships, money and life away from football. At 19 or 20, not every player is ready for all of that.

This does not mean players should be relieved of responsibility. They have to answer for their own decisions. But they also need people around them who understand the game and can advise them on more than contracts and transfers.

Choosing a club, for example, is not always about the salary. Regular playing time can be more important for a young player trying to build a career. Knowing when to stay, when to leave and how to respond when a place in the team is lost can also shape a career.

Đại's story raises that question as well. His career cannot be explained simply by a lack of guidance, nor can it be explained only by talent or bad luck. There were choices he made himself and things he could not control.

The problem is that young players often have to deal with all of these things at the same time. Vietnamese football has become better at producing players for youth national teams. The success of the U19 and U23 teams in recent years has shown that young talent is available. The harder part is helping those players make the transition to stable professional careers.

Đại is a reminder that a promising youth international career is only a beginning. The years after 20 can be just as important. So can what happens outside the training ground.

At 29, he is no longer the young captain who led Việt Nam's U19 team or the midfielder who returned from Changzhou with a silver medal and high expectations. But 29 is not the end of a working life or necessarily the end of a football career.

A return to the national team is probably not the most realistic measure of what comes next. Finding a club, playing regularly again, rebuilding his fitness and discipline or even taking another job outside professional football would all be more immediate goals.

The starting point may be lower than the one he once had. That is part of the cost of the choices he made. What matters now is what he does with the choices that remain. — VNS