Cai Van Quy and his unfinished career at the age of 19

"It was the most difficult decision in my short career as a football player," Quy told MetaSports, after the SLNA club accepted to liquidate her contract and retire.

Born in 2004, Quy is the youngest child in a farming family with two brothers in Thai Hoa town, Nghe An. In 2015, he joined SLNA's football training facility. Thanks to her good physique and ability to shoot with both feet, Quy continuously developed, becoming the mainstay of the SLNA youth teams that won the U11, U13 and U15 National Championships.

In August 2019, Quy was the joint top scorer of the National U15 tournament, and was summoned by coach Dinh The Nam to join the U15 Vietnam team to participate in the international U15 football tournament held in Ba Ria - Vung Tau. In this tournament, Vietnam finished second behind Korea, and Quy's name also flashed with a goal against Russia and a double against Korea. "That was my most memorable tournament. Conceding against Russia - a team from Europe - brought a special, very different feeling," Quy said.

After the U15 international, Quy was summoned to the U18 Vietnam team by coach Philippe Troussier, who was then in charge of youth training for Vietnam, for a short-term training session, and was highly appreciated by the French strategist. Experts have given Quy the nickname "King of the youth tournament", predicting that she will develop further, becoming a pillar of SLNA as well as a key player in Vietnamese football in the next 10 years.

Returning to the club, Quy continued to "bombard" on many fronts. From late March to early April 2021, when she was 17 years old, Quy was the mainstay of SLNA participating in the U19 National Finals. In the second match against PVF, after a collision, Quy suffered an injury. Thinking it was only a minor injury, he tried to continue kicking. He ran for a few more minutes, then collapsed and asked to be replaced. At the end of this tournament, SLNA ranked third - not a bad achievement, but for Quy, it was the beginning of a series of tragic days.

Returning to Nghe An, Quy asked the club leaders to see a doctor, but no one responded. During this period, SLNA is facing turmoil from the top, when Chairman Nguyen Hong Thanh resigned, and the team has not found a sponsor. Quy spent her own money to go to an international hospital in Vinh City for an MRI scan, and the doctor diagnosed her with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left leg, requiring surgery for complete treatment.

Quy continued to propose to the leader to have surgery, but did not receive a positive response. He then returned to his hometown in Thai Hoa town to recuperate and self-treat for two months. In June of the same year, when an economic group took over SLNA, Quy and another colleague, Tran Van Cuong, were taken by the club to 108 Central Military Hospital for surgery to reconnect the ligament.

After three days of surgery, Quy returned home for two weeks, then proposed that the club let her go to a rehabilitation center in Hanoi at a monthly cost of 20 million VND. After two months, Quy was on the road to recovery when SLNA called her back to practice at the club. He often goes out to jog to maintain his physical strength and goes to the gym to exercise. In mid-2022, a full year away from the field, Quy returned to practice sparring with her teammates.

"Due to a long rest, I lost all feeling for the ball, and didn't dare run quickly or lean forward. Sometimes I found myself shying away from the ball, afraid of collision. The old aggressiveness was gone, my knees were no longer strong," he said. Quy said. "I don't understand why my physical strength has gone downhill like that. Maybe it's because I haven't had physical therapy after ligament surgery, and the rehabilitation process hasn't been systematic due to lack of instructors."

While her career was facing difficulties, at the end of 2022, Quy's family had a major incident when her father and grandmother passed away one after another. Receiving two consecutive shocks, Quy collapsed and lost all emotions. At this time, his brother was in his third year of university, the economy was difficult, his mother had to work many jobs to earn money to support, Quy planned to quit football to find another job to help the family. However, regretting the time spent practicing, he told himself to try one last time to see what his abilities were.

In March, Quy was a member of SLNA participating in the national U19 qualifiers. However, he always had to play with a bandaged knee, making limited contributions, often having to leave the field early, and the home team did not make it to the final round. After this tournament, realizing that she was no longer outstanding compared to her teammates of the same age, Quy decided to retire. He sent an application to liquidate the contract to the club's leaders and was approved on August 31.

"Before thinking about deciding to retire, I had many sleepless nights. My father was a football enthusiast, but unfortunately, I could not continue playing according to his wishes. My mother initially advised me to try, But after understanding my health condition, I was free to decide," Quy shared, adding that she had thought about moving to some other team to seek luck, but due to SLNA's regulations, when the player must comply with the youth training contract until the age of 24, so I do not dare to propose to the club leadership.

Tran Dinh Tien, former SLNA player, felt regretful that Quy had to retire at such a young age. "He is quiet, gentle, and has very good soccer skills. It's a pity for football in Nghe An as well as Vietnam," he said.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nghia, Director of SLNA Youth Football Training Center, also commented that Quy is a talent but is not destined for top football. "After her injury, Quy could not practice in large quantities. When Quy and her family wanted to liquidate the contract, the club leaders were very worried and hesitant, but still had to create conditions for her to find a direction. new," Mr. Nghia said.

Quy said that the day she returned from SLNA, her relatives and neighbors were all sad. The 19-year-old former player will stay home for a while to regain his spirit, and plans to apply to Bac Ninh University of Sports and Physical Training to study sports coaching, majoring in football.