From Professional Football Player to Teacher Nurturing Football Talents

Passion for the Round Ball

Coming to football in 1998 and training with the Hanoi Railway team. With his maturity, confidence, skillful saves, and accurate passes, in 2003 - when he was only 21 years old, Mr. Trinh Phong Thu (Physical Education Teacher, Physical Education Department - Greenfield School) was called up to the Vietnam U23 national team to prepare for SEA Games 22.

Not a particularly nổi bật name, known by many people like his contemporaries, but when mentioning Mr. Thu, experts and insiders always have special respect. Coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh (who once led the National Team, Song Lam Nghe An Club and Hoa Phat Hanoi) once commented on Mr. Thu: "I am very impressed with Thu's physique (1m76 tall) as well as his calm personality. Thu is very hardworking, trains seriously, integrates and adapts very quickly to team play."

In 2000, when the Vietnam Railway team was transferred to Hanoi LG.ACB, Mr. Thu continued to wear the capital team's jersey, becoming the team's main pillar, "fighting" in many major tournaments at home and abroad. In 2008, great joy came to Mr. Thu when Hanoi LG.ACB won the National Cup, ending a very successful season for Mr. Thu and his teammates.

After retiring from top-level competition, the former Vietnam U23 national team player devoted his heart to building a foundation for young football in the country. Along with some other former famous players such as Quoc Trung, Thanh Luong, Canh Nam..., Mr. Thu opened a class teaching basic football for students called TNT Football Club as well as participating in coaching at some Community Football Centers.

After many years of cooperating with Greenfield School to open an extracurricular club for students, Mr. Thu decided to stick with the full-time teaching job at Greenfield School with the desire to nurture the passion of students so that they can later become professional football players contributing to the development of Vietnamese football.

"My life and football career have had many twists and turns, but there is one undeniable truth. That is that I have always had love for the round ball. Whether I pursue a career of "shorts and jersey" or "putting down the pen to study," my work is still gắn liền with football" - Mr. Thu shared.

When You Love, Try to Love with All Your Heart

Having once led teams to compete in the professional football arena, but community football, especially with young children, is a completely different environment, requiring Mr. Thu to start over.

"Teaching children must be extremely loving and have great passion. Teaching professionally is completely different. Teaching at school, the children do not have talent, or have talent, but they will not listen to me like professional football. In professional football, I only need to say lightly and the players are already well disciplined. But in community football, when I speak, the children will run around the field excitedly" - Mr. Thu confided.

And according to Mr. Thu's tâm sự, for the teaching work to be effective, patience, kindness, and meticulousness are necessary. "My point of view in work is very clear. Winning or losing is for the professional level, the national team. For children, the most important thing is passion. If they don't do well, I will continuously encourage them instead of scolding them. If someone does well, I will encourage them to phát huy. I always guide the children on how to live and play football properly. First is the spirit of solidarity, second is courage. Only then will the victory be complete."

To create opportunities for students to practice, rub shoulders, and get acquainted with the standards of professional sports competition, Mr. Thu and his colleagues in the Physical Education Department have built and organized the Greenfield Olympics - the biggest sports festival of the year for students throughout the school.

"Not many high schools in Vietnam can organize a large-scale, professional sports festival like the way my colleagues and I are doing at Greenfield School. This is both a playground for students to show their competitive abilities, and an opportunity for our teachers to "live" in the sports environment in general and football in particular."

With the mindset of "when you love, try to love with all your heart," whether in the position of a professional football player or a teacher, Mr. Thu always spreads positive energy to everyone around him. "Just hearing the children call me teacher, I have an indescribable feeling in my heart. That is both happiness and pride, and makes me love the job I have chosen even more."

Thank you, Mr. Trinh Phong Thu - a passionate and talented teacher of the Physical Education Department, who has been devoting his heart to educating students. Hopefully, with his talent and dedication, he will continue to train more and more generations of students with a healthy and happy body and mind.

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