Quế Ngọc Hải delivers a 'special' message to Đình Bắc

The message is more than just a New Year's greeting; it reflects the great expectations of a previous generation for the future of national football.

Veteran center-back Quế Ngọc Hải recently expressed his special trust in junior Nguyễn Đình Bắc by stating: “ĐB7 will lead the Vietnam national team to the 2030 World Cup.”

After the match between Công An Hà Nội and Tampines Rovers on February 11, Đình Bắc took the opportunity to return to Nghệ An to visit his family and pay New Year’s respects to senior Quế Ngọc Hải. In the warm spring atmosphere, the young forward gifted Ngọc Hải a shirt signed by all the U23 Vietnamese players who participated in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. In return, the 1993-born center-back gave his junior a Vietnam national team jersey worn during the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, along with an emotional message: “ĐB7 will lead the Vietnam national team to the 2030 World Cup.”

This gift carries special symbolic meaning. The World Cup has long been the biggest dream for Vietnamese football. Quế Ngọc Hải’s generation came very close to this historic milestone under coach Park Hang Seo’s leadership, winning the 2018 AFF Cup, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and notably qualifying for the third round of the 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers. Although they did not secure a spot in the world’s biggest football event, those achievements laid the foundation and belief for the coming generations.

Đình Bắc, a young player from Nghệ An, is regarded as one of the most promising talents in Vietnamese football today. With speed, skill, and confidence in decisive plays, he is steadily proving himself in the Công An Hà Nội club as well as at various youth national team levels. The full trust placed in him by senior Quế Ngọc Hải further motivates the 2004-born forward to continuously improve.

The relationship between these two players from Nghệ An is also a beautiful story in Vietnamese football. Đình Bắc has often shared that he views Quế Ngọc Hải as an ideal role model to learn from, both for his passionate playing spirit and his professionalism in daily life and training. The continuity between generations, in both skills and ambition, is what helps the Vietnam national team maintain its aspiration to reach continental heights.

In the coming days, Đình Bắc will rejoin Công An Hà Nội to prepare for the second leg of the 2025/26 AFC Champions League Round of 16 against Tampines Rovers. If there are no changes, he and his teammates will celebrate Tet in Singapore, ready for new challenges on the continental stage. With his current form and the confidence from his senior, fans have every reason to hope Đình Bắc will become the new leader of Vietnam’s quest for the 2030 World Cup.