All it took was one chance for the kid from Quang Ninh to prove himself.

Posing the same defensive threat as the French midfielder at St. Germaine, Chau has gone from obscurity to being known as one of the national team’s most exciting defenders virtually over night.

Now, any offense that plays Vietnam or the Hai Phong squad will be keenly aware of the small sweeper in the backfield, standing firm and giving his attackers little space to breathe.

Nobody from Chau’s small hometown of Quang Yen in the northern province of Quang Ninh, ever thought he would play for the national team. He was always too short by most standards.

But after a half-season as a no-name defender at the Hai Phong club, his acute passing and sharp skills were enough for him to be selected to the national team mid-2008.

“I am not very experienced and pretty short,” Chau said, adding that he’s the second-shortest player on the national team.

“But I was lucky to be chosen by coach Henrique Calisto. I was surprised because I hadn’t played for any of the national youth teams or the Olympic team before.”

“Buffalo”

Chau is not as strong and tall as his counterpart Phung Cong Minh. He is less experienced than Phan Van Tai Em. He can’t strike as well as Tran Truong Giang. He is not as skillfull as Minh Duc.

However, he was chosen by Calisto because he was integral part of Hai Phong’s successful first half of the 2008 V-League season.

He exhibited all the traits of an excellent defensive midfielder – even the best forwards can’t dribble past him or pass around him, and he’s a great stealer and crisp, precise passer.

Hai Phong locals called him the “man without lungs” and the “Buffalo” because he works hard and never gets tired.

Hai Phong’s coach at the time had said Chau would one day be as good as Issawa, Thailand’s best defensive midfielder who had become the best in Vietnam playing with Vietnamese clubs Binh Dinh and An Giang.

“Chau is not only tough, but he’s good at taking the ball. He’s fast and skillful,” said Hai Phong Club Captain Van Thanh. “He’s not very good at launching long attacks, but he is excellent as a defensive midfielder.”

A quiet box of explosives

For his first several months on the national team, Chau sat on the bench.

It wasn’t until the team was stretched by a Minh Phuong back injury and a Tai Em knee injury that Chau got his big chance at the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup last month.

Chau was in the starting line-up in a group stage clash against Laos on December 10 and started for the rest of the tournament, becoming an indispensable part of the national team.

Chau successfully prevented Thailand’s playmaker Datsakorn Thonglao from launching attacks in the finals, a vital component to Vietnam’s 2008 AFF Cup championship win.

“I always believed in myself. I always thought I would have a chance,” Chau said. “I always practiced hard because I believe in ‘no pain, no gain.’ I am grateful to coach Calisto for giving me a chance.”

Assistant coach Phan Thanh Hung praised Calisto’s decision to play Chau saying, “He’s like a box of explosives just waiting for a spark to explode.”

Reported by Thanh Luong