With Samson Kayode's move to Atletico Madrid, V-League has proved to be not only a place for making money but also a launching pad for young talents. The Nigerian striker can be an outstanding example as he had played and trained in Vietnam since a teenager. Let's see which else players can move to a bigger pool in future after establishing himself in Vietnam.
1 - Christian Amougou Nsi: The promising Cameroonian striker came to Vietnamese club Dong Thap in 2009 when he was 20. After impressing for Than Quang Ninh in the following season, he moved to Sai Gon Xuan Thanh early this year and is currently leading top scorer chart in the First Division with 17 goals.
2 - Sunday Emmanuel: Joining Thanh Hoa this season, the young Nigerian has earned a regular starting place. Pacey and hard-working, he can play well as winger and forward. Only 20 years old, he can progress a lot in the future.
3 - Gaston Merlo: Labelled as on of the best players in V-League, Da Nang's hitman is heading for top scorer award for the third consecutive time, a new record of V-League. Now 26, he can think of some bigger challenges. My site has recorded some searches about him from the Gulf for some months. The coach of Bahrani club Al-Riffa also showed his interest in the Argentine after witnessing him score 3 goals against his side in AFC Cup.
4 - Ganiyu Oseni: Winning 2007 U-17 World Cup with Nigeria, he is now playing for First Division side Kien Giang. He has hit 9 goals for his club this season.
5 - Nguyen Van Quyet: It's more difficult for a Vietnamese player to move abroad as there are so many tempting offers from domestic clubs to keep him stay. Emerging as one of hottest prospects of Vietnamese football, the 20-year-old midfielder is a first-team player of Hanoi T&T and Vietnam national team.
6 - Timothy Anjembe: Winning top scorer of Nigerian Premier League before coming to Vietnam, Anjembe is considered one of most dangerous strikers in V-league. I always believe he is good enough to play in some average European leagues.
There are also a bunch of African teenagers in the league such as Ntambi Kirizestom (Navibank Saigon - born 1992 - Uganda U20), Joseph Ochaya (Navibank Saigon - born 1994 -Uganda U20), Ibrahim Juma (Saigon Xuan Thanh - born 1992 - Uganda national team), Moses Oloya (Saigon Xuan Thanh - born 1992 - Uganda U23). They all can develop into quality players like Samson Kayode. Let's wait and see.
How tempting can the offer for vietnamese players to stay be? How tempting could it be? Best paid vietnamese isnt even half of best thai player gets.
ReplyDeleteYou mean best-paid Thai player gets more than US$ 1 million for a 3-year contract?
ReplyDeleteWooo, I don't know about that comment, avergae Thai player would love to play in Vietnam, they have done in the past. Yes the Thai League's got better, but money wise, it all goes to the fancy foriegners. Not Asian foriegners that is, ex Europeans
ReplyDeleteHi Erick,
ReplyDeleteNsi had played for Dong Thap before joining Than Quang Ninh.
Don't believe everything you read Erik and I can tell you most of the salaries that clubs and players tell Vietnamese press are extremely inflated. There are foreign players in Vietnam earning less than locals - same in Thailand. There are also starts like Merlo and Samson but even their salaries are half of what is reported.
ReplyDeleteVietnam has some fantastic foreign players but Samson is in a league of his own both on and off the field. Vietnamese need to focus on improving the quality of their league rather than getting hung up on who they are able to 'export'.
Until they are able to be professional and treat players and coaches with respect, they will not be able to attract and maintain quality players.