Van Toan unexpectedly admitted to being 'jealous' of Dinh Bac's talent.

Van Toan openly confessed to feeling "jealous" and highly praised Dinh Bac's talent at a very young age.

At the beginning of 2024, during a Tet holiday conversation, Nguyen Van Toan shared noteworthy comments when asked about his junior, Nguyen Dinh Bac. At that time, Dinh Bac was still a rising young face but had already made a strong impression on the experienced senior player.

Van Toan said he was very happy to know that Dinh Bac regarded him as an idol. However, what surprised the forward born in 1996 even more was the young player's professional ability. After training and watching him play directly, Van Toan admitted that Dinh Bac was “too good for his age,” possessing excellent physical fitness and impressive football skills.

Not only stopping at praise, Van Toan candidly expressed a bit of “jealousy” when comparing himself at the same age. He believed that he could not reach the level Dinh Bac has now when he was young. This admission is considered rare since not many key players openly and humbly appreciate their juniors in such a way.

When making this comment, Van Toan was playing in South Korea and had only a short time interacting with Dinh Bac. Nevertheless, that initial impression seemed to accurately reflect the young forward’s potential. Two years later, looking back at Dinh Bac's development journey, many believe Van Toan’s statement was an early “forecast.”

Wearing the U23 Vietnam jersey, Dinh Bac consistently left a strong mark in continental tournaments, even winning the top scorer title at the U23 Asian Championship along with many important goals. From a player encouraged by his senior, he gradually established himself as a star at the youth level and became a great hope for the future of Vietnamese football.

Notably, when talking about Dinh Bac, Van Toan also mentioned the generational transition process. As the players who made up the “golden generation” gradually move past their peak, the responsibility will fall to the younger generation. And with what he has shown, Dinh Bac is the proof of that statement — a talent Van Toan recognized early and did not hesitate to show special respect for.