Coach Alfred Riedl’s stamp on Vietnamese football

The Vietnamese team has been led by many foreign coaches, but coach Alfred Riedl are the few foreign coaches who have been with Vietnamese football for many years, both as head coach of the national team and the club.

The Austrian strategist used to coach the Vietnamese team three times in the period 1998-2000, 2003-2004 and 2005-2007. Although it is not possible to help the Vietnamese team to be crowned to the top in the Southeast Asian arena through tournaments such as the AFF Cup (formerly Tiger Cup) or the SEA Games, the great contributions of the Austrian strategist are not. can be denied.

Alfred Riedl’s most outstanding achievement in his tenure as head of the Vietnamese team was leading Cong Vinh’s generation to the 2007 Asian Cup quarter-finals when the event was held in four Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Although a year later, coach Afried Riedl broke with Vietnamese football and the man who replaced him, coach Calisto, helped Cong Vinh’s generation win the 2008 AFF Cup for the first time, but that achievement comes from the foundation left behind. by the Austrian technician.

Coach Alfred Riedl’s greatest regret is that he was unable to help the Vietnamese team win the 1998 Tiger Cup (forerunner of the AFF Cup) when the final “Golden Dragon Team” lost bitterly to opponents from Singapore.

In this tournament, the Austrian coach left the fans of the Vietnamese team in awe by defeating Thailand’s “great rival” 3-0 for the first time.

At the time, Thailand was still considered a “boss” in Southeast Asia, but Hong Son’s golden generation Cong Minh, Duc Thang, under the hands of coach Alfred Riedl, made history by saying goodbye. “War Elephants” back home in the semi-finals.

Just a little bit of luck, but the Austrian strategist failed to be crowned with the Vietnamese team when they lost a bitter 0-1 to Singapore in the final at home field My Dinh.

In the arena of the SEA Games, coach Afred Riedl also had three chances to help the Vietnamese team appear in the finals in 1999, 2003 and 2005, unfortunately he and his students failed in this final match. , causing many people to still call the Austrian strategist “the second king”.

Mr. Riedl is the teacher of many excellent players in Vietnamese soccer history such as Nguyen Hong Son, Le Huynh Duc, Tran Cong Minh, Le Cong Vinh, Pham Van Quyen, Nguyen Minh Phuong … He always receives respect both professional and human on the part of our students and assistants.

In 1998, when accepting the leadership of the Vietnamese national team, no one could deny the talent of the Austrian strategist. As a player, Mr. Riedl won the Austrian national championship twice, won the Austrian and Belgian Golden Boot three times, and won the Bronze Boot of Europe in 1975.

He also played for the Austrian national team and served as the Austrian national team’s head coach for a year. When he led Indonesia, he also twice led the Thousands of Islands team to the AFF Cup final in 2010 and 2016, but the title “King came second” still clung to him.

Coach Alfred Riedl is very loved in Vietnam, even one person generously donated kidneys to him when he had health problems in 2017. He once said: “If I go to Vietnam now, people still accept. Outside of me.

I can’t get out easily because people yell and follow me. Vietnam has a very special place in my heart and in my life. I know, many people recognize Vietnam as their second home, so do I, but I have a special feeling saying this. “

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