Midfielder Le Tan Tai is not the most skillful player on the national team, but his grit and determination were big factors in Vietnam’s historic Suzuki Cup victory in December.

Green horn

He started playing football at the age of 16 and developed quickly.

“I took to football by chance,” Tai said. “At first, my friends asked me to play with them for fun. I just followed them but then I fell head over heels in love with the sport.”

“I played often and improved quickly. Just a few months later, I was called up to join Khanh Hoa Province’s U16 team and then the U18 team. Then Khanh Hoa Province’s junior team coach Luciano recommended me to the national team coach Tavares in late 2004. I couldn’t believe my ears because I was very inexperienced,” Tai said.

The public doubted his ability and Tai begged Tavares to let him leave the Vietnam squad.

“I lacked confidence I was grateful to Luciano but I wished I had achieved more and had a stronger reputation before joining all the top players on the national team.”

Ego

Thrown in the deep end Tai had no choice but to train harder and improve.

He produced a superb performance in the Thanh Nien-sponsored National U21 Football Tournament Final in 2004 and was chosen by the national team coach Alfred Riedl to prepare for the SEA Games in 2005.

Tai and Quoc Anh proved excellent on the flanks but Anh let himself down by joining in the match fixing.

Tai was from a poor farming family in Khanh Hoa Province’s Ninh Hoa District. Perhaps it was the values he learnt on the land that helped him tell right from wrong because he wasn’t tempted by the easy money.

He was becoming a strong-minded player both on and off the field and received the “bronze ball” award that year. It inspired him to train harder but a rumor started in the Khanh Hoa team that Tai thought he was getting too famous to turn up to training on time and was looking down on his team mates.

Unluckily, early in the 2006 season he suffered a knee injury preventing him from playing until the first half season was nearly finished.

“Sometimes I got really discouraged because the provincial team coach Nguyen Ngoc Hao didn’t understand me. But I didn’t vindicate myself, because the support of the Khanh Hoa fans and I just played for my love of the sport,” Tai said.

“I was nursing a knee injury but the team was struggling in the second half of the 2006 V-League. So I played in the match against Nam Dinh. I was limping the whole time but I managed a pass to a teammate to even the score,” Tai said.

Khanh Hoa team coach Hoang Anh Tuan said, “Tai is very serious about his football career and he never considers himself a star. He has moved on from the problems he had a few years ago, I think and he always plays enthusiastically. I believe he has matured mentally.”

Shaky start

Coach Henrique Calisto had Tai in the original line up for the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup, but replaced him with Vu Phong after a poor performance in the opener against home team Thailand, in the group stage in Phuket Province.

Calisto tried him again in the first leg of the semifinals against Singapore in Hanoi but he didn’t perform well as expected and this time lost his place to Thanh Luong.

“I was uncomfortable and didn’t know why,” Tai said.

But Calisto met him before the second leg of the semifinals in Singapore and said, “Be confident. Be brave and you will have a chance.”

Only six minutes after he went in to replace Thanh Luong in the 69th minute, Tai made the neat pass to Cong Vinh who sent it to Quang Hai to score the only goal putting Vietnam in the finals.

In the finals against Thailand, Tai had to show his versatility when Calisto put him on as a midfielder.

In the first leg in Bangkok, Tai contributed to both Vu Phong’s and Cong Vinh’s goals.

In the second leg at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium, Tai played tirelessly.

“When the 90 minutes was almost over, I was prepared for the 30 minutes extra time. I didn’t know why I was so strong, but I fainted because I was so happy after Cong Vinh scored the winning goal,” Tai said.

Tai said, “Coach Calisto is like a father to us. He is very close and always encourages us to play better. He always makes us feel confident when we are on the field.”

Reported by Quang Tuyen