A typical farmer who never lets up in the midfield

Published: 19/01/2009 05:00

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Playmaker and deputy captain Phan Van Tai Em (R) holds the AFF trophy aloft

On the field, Tai Em is perhaps not as prominent as some of his other teammates, but everyone calls him “a real playmaker.”

Phan Van Tai Em’s appearance is typical of a southern farmer.

At a glance, anyone could guess he is diligent, down-to-earth, gentle and honest. Tai Em is happy to be dubbed “Hai Lua” (typical southern farmer) or “Cu Muoi” (10th kid). He said, “I was born and grew up on a farm and the farming life has formed my character. Whenever I do something, I always put everything into it. I am the same both on and off the football field.”

Putting everything into it saw Tai Em earn plaudits for himself as the 2005 National Golden Ball winner, and play a crucial role in the country emerging on top in Southeast Asia by winning the AFF Suzuki Cup.

Tai Em’s road to becoming a footballer was pretty easy. When he was a kid, after school he loved playing football with his neighborhood friends in An Luc Long Commune.

PHAN VAN TAI EM

Born: April 23, 1982 in Long An Province

Height: 1.70 meters

Weight: 64 kilos

Positions: Left winger and midfielder Club: Dong Tam Long An (DTLA) Championships: Member of DTLA when it won the V-League championships in 2005 and 2006, and the National Cup in 2005 and Super Cup in 2006; DTLA team member when it was runners-up in the Thanh Nien-sponsored National U21 Football Tournament in 2000; player on the national team when it won the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup championship and as runners-up in the SEA games in 2003 and 2005 and National Golden Ball winner in 2005.

Later, he was chosen to play for Chau Thanh District and then Long An Province. He and his older brother, Phan Van Giau, gradually became the new football hopefuls of the Mekong Delta province.

Tai Em said, “If you want to become a footballer, you must work hard because hard work is the key to success.” For that reason, Tai Em always works like a buffalo, never giving in to tiredness whether in a practice session or a real match.

His determination made him stand out from his Long An teammates Le Thanh Xuan and Tran Nguyen Nhan when they were called up to join the national team to prepare for the AFF Cup in 2002, which was then called the Tiger Cup.

There was a rumor that the national team coach Henrique Calisto favored his own players (Calisto was also coach of Long An at the time). Many fans were not happy and even some of the stars in the national team were angry. Midfielder Vu Minh Hieu, for example, showed some resentment towards Tai Em for having to substitute for him.

Tai Em, however, was determined to earn his place on the team and prove Calisto right. It was Tai Em who played superbly to score and make it 1-1 in the Cup clash against Indonesia.

Three unforgettable memories

After his outstanding performance at the 2002 Tiger Cup, Tai Em was a certainty for the U23 and national teams.

From 2003-2007, Tai Em had three unforgettable moments. The first was a strategic header to help striker Van Quyen equalize the score in the Southeast Asian Games final against Thailand in 2003.

Tai Em recalls: “Thailand was leading 1-0 and the 90 minutes were nearly over. Everyone was losing hope, but then I saw Minh Phuong’s strong cross and jumped up to head it back for Van Quyen to even the score. We couldn’t believe our eyes. It was an unforgettable, sweet experience. However, Thailand made it 2-1 in extra time and won the championship.”

The second moment, however, was not glorious. Tai Em could see unusual behavior in the 2005 SEA Games semifinal against Malaysia in Bacolod, the Philippines, from teammates Quoc Vuong, Van Quyen and a few other players. He told them not to get involved in match fixing but they didn’t listen to him. So, Tai Em reported it to the coaching staff and a big investigation was carried out into the matter after the SEA Games. It was a major scandal in Vietnamese football, ending in the suspension of many players.

The third memory for Tai Em was in July 2007, when he was getting married during the Asian Cup final competition. At that time, Tai Em had made preparations for his wedding and had asked the then national team coach Alfred Riedl if he could leave the team after the group stage because few expected Vietnam to go far in the tournament.

However, Vietnam played exceptionally well and advanced to the quarterfinals. The team left for Thailand to play against Iraq while Tai Em flew back to Long An.

Many people criticized him for leaving the team. Tai Em really wanted to stay so he asked Long An Club Manager Vo Quoc Thang to arrange for him to fly home from Thailand right after the clash against Iraq on July 21 or early the next day to be back in time for his wedding on July 22. But there were no early flights from Bangkok to HCMC on July 22 and he had invited guests to the wedding, so “Hai Lua” couldn’t be with his beloved national team.

A real playmaker

Tai Em has been a playmaker in the national team for years, not only in the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup.

His training by Calisto has made him a good example for other players to follow.

He is so quiet on field that fans sometimes don’t even notice him, but Calisto said Tai Em is like the human heart of the team.

Thailand’s team coach Peter Reid said, “I didn’t see a midfielder at the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup play as well as Tai Em. He was the launching pad for Vietnam’s victory.”

In the 2011 Asian Cup qualifier against Lebanon at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium last Wednesday, Tai Em made the neat pass for Vinh to double the score 20 minutes after the 10th minute opener by captain Minh Phuong.

Reported by Quang Tuyen

Provide by Vietnam Travel

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