Football: Hong Son, Ngoc Cham take Golden Balls

HCM City (VNA) - National team goalkeeper Duong Hong Son and striker Do Thi Ngoc
Cham on March 23 won their first Golden Ball awards for outstanding contributions to
Vietnamese men's and women's football in the year 2008.

The prestigious award was instituted by the Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper.

Son, a 27-year-old native of central Nghe An province who plays for the T&T Hanoi
football club, beat his national team teammates in the running: defender Vu Nhu
Thanh and striker Le Cong Vinh to win the award for the first time.

Becamex Binh Duong Football Club defender Vu Nhu Thanh placed second for the Silver
Ball while striker Le Cong Vinh ranked third for the Bronze Ball award.

It is the first time since 2001 and the second time in the award's history that a
goalkeeper has been the winner, the other being Vo Van Hanh, born in central Phu Yen
province, who won the Golden Ball in 2001 when he played for Song Lam Nghe An.

Hanh, 35, now plays for SHB Da Nang.

Son, who was chosen as the Most Valuable Player at the ASEAN Football Championship
AFF-Suzuki Cup in Thailand , was the key to Vietnam 's success in the
tournament from the semi-finals onwards.

Against Singapore in the second leg semi-final, he performed brilliantly and
stopped numerous attempts from the strikers; he was also on form in the two leg
final against Thailand in Bangkok and Hanoi last December, stopping several
point-blank efforts.

Son also helped his club get promoted to the V-League, Vietnam 's premier
football league last year.

Hanoian striker Do Thi Ngoc Cham, 24, from Hanoi , also won the Golden Ball for
the first time.

Cham, who was also voted as the Best Player of the Year by fans nationwide two weeks
ago in a poll by Bong Da newspaper, was the women's national team's main striker in
all competitions last year including the Asian Championship.

Cham made great contributions to the national team's second place position at the
Southeast Asian Women's Championship in Vietnam , behind power-house Australia .

The Hanoi-born striker was also the key factor in Hanoi 's victory at the Women's
Football Championship last year when she was the tournament's Most Valuable Player
and top scorer with six goals.

The Silver Ball went to Dao Thi Mien of Hoa Hop Hanoi, while winger Tran Thi Kim
Hong from HCM City bagged the Bronze Ball.

The Golden Ball award is celebrating its 15 th anniversary next year. The first
one was won by the national team's former striker, Le Huynh Duc, in 1995, when he
played for former HCM City Police team.-Enditem