Cong Vinh is talented, but Van Quyen is the difference of Vietnam football

Recently striker Le Cong Vinh has been named in the list of 5 legends of Southeast Asian football by AFC. He is on the list with other famous names such as Kiatisuk Senamuang or Indonesian striker Bambang Pamungkas.

This is a well-deserved recognition for Le Cong Vinh's contribution to Vietnamese football during his time playing. It was the striker who brought home the first AFF Cup for Vietnamese football, with a very difficult header in the last minute of the final against Thailand in My Dinh Stadium in 2008.

Witnessing Le Cong Vinh's success, many people will feel sorry for Pham Van Quyen - a prodigy of Vietnamese football. If he was entangled in the Bacolod case in 2005, perhaps Van Quyen's career will not only end in Vietnam.

No one can deny the natural talent of Pham Van Quyen. During the peak of his career, the "Golden Boy" was placed on a different level from the rest of Vietnamese football.

Possessing a very good legs, along with the magic dribbling, Pham Van Quyen has been rated as one of the most comprehensive football players in Vietnam in the early 21st century.

It’s worth mentioning that, while Van Quyen was still playing and at the peak of his career, Cong Vinh's talent was almost obscured in both Song Lam Nghe An or U23 Vietnam.

At the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam, Van Quyen was the best player of U23 Vietnam. He scored a total of 4 goals including 2 against Thailand and 2 against Malaysia, while Cong Vinh was benched against Shenzhen and only scored 1 goal against U23 Laos. Later that year, Van Quyen was also the winner of the Vietnamese golden ball.

In 2005, they first kicked together at an SEA Games. Van Quyen opened the scoring for Vietnam’s U23 3 times against Singapore, Laos and Malaysia, closing the tournament with 5 goals. Cong Vinh also had 4 goals against Laos and Malaysia respectively.

Cong Vinh can be an effective striker with many goals. But to talk about the mutation, Van Quyen is the best. With the speed, technique and the ability to finish, the "golden boy" has many times broken the deadlock for his team.

At that time, it was difficult for any Vietnamese player to receive the love and trust of fans like Van Quyen. Every time the Vietnamese prodigy had the ball, the audience always believed that something different would be created by the small striker.

We feel regret for a young talent of Vietnamese football. At the moment, it is hard to find a player with natural qualities like Pham Van Quyen. If he did not fall too early, Van Quyen would have probably replaced Cong Vinh in the list of Southeast Asian football legend.​