Four Vietnamese players in the AFF Cup 2022 Best XI; Saudi Arabia changes the rules to recruit Messi
(Baonghean.vn) - Dang Van Lam, Doan Van Hau, Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Tien Linh were elected to the best squad of AFF Cup 2022; Saudi Arabia Football Federation plans to increase the number of foreign players to have more opportunities to sign Lionel Messi are outstanding sports news.
Four Vietnamese players in the AFF Cup 2022 Best Team
The Thai champions have the most representatives in this squad, with five names, including Kritsada Kaman, Sasalak Haiprakhon, Theerathon Bunmathan, Sarach Yooyen and Teerasil Dangda.
The remaining two positions belong to Indonesian midfielder Jordi Amat and Malaysian striker Faisal Halim.
 |
| AFF Cup 2022 best lineup voted by the audience. Photo:AFF Cup |
The typical lineup was announced by the AFF Cup 2022 organizing committee based on the audience's votes. Goalkeeper Van Lam set a record of keeping a clean sheet in 6 consecutive matches, conceding the fewest goals (3 goals) at the AFF Cup 2022. Theerathon Bunmathan, who specializes in playing left-back, was assigned to play freely and became the best player of the tournament. Alongside Theerathon are Sarach Yooyen and Hoang Duc - two of the best controlling, passing and competing midfielders in the tournament.
On the attack line, Dangda and Tien Linh were joint top scorers with 6 goals each, while Faisal Halim had 5 goals.
In defense, Van Hau's position is somewhat controversial, but it also shows that no right-back has outstanding professional statistics at the AFF Cup 2022. In addition, Van Hau also received the most attention from the media and fans at the tournament, because he was the main character in many controversies and collisions. Meanwhile, former Premier League center-back Jordi Amat and Thai center-back Kritsada Kaman left their mark with modern defense and good footwork.
Saudi Arabia changes the law to recruit Messi
According to Saudi Pro League regulations, each team can only register a maximum of 8 foreign players. This number will increase in the near future after the success of the Cristiano Ronaldo deal, according to ESPN.
 | |
|
Daily Mail revealed that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation did this to pave the way for Lionel Messi in the future. Mundo Deportivo confirmed that Leo will receive a salary of nearly 300 million euros per year if he agrees to play for Al Halil Club in Saudi Arabia.
Transfer news expert Gerard Romero said Messi has no intention of renewing his contract with PSG. According to Forbes, the World Cup title has made Leo hesitant to sign a new contract. "El Pulga" is said to be interested in other things when considering his future.
Messi has a good relationship with Saudi Arabia. The 2022 World Cup winner is the country's tourism ambassador. Ibrahim Alkassim, secretary general of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, admitted: "I do not hide the fact that we would like to welcome Messi one day. The idea of the Federation is always to improve football. Of course we would like to see Cristiano and Messi play here."
Al Nassr coach blames Ronaldo
"One of the factors that changed the game was Ronaldo's miss in the first half," Mirror quoted Mr. Garcia.
The French coach mentioned the situation in the 43rd minute, when defender Abdulelah Al-Amri crossed from the right wing for Ronaldo to head from 5 meters away, but the ball was pushed out by the Al Ittihad goalkeeper. At that time, the home team Al Ittihad was leading 1-0. Apart from this miss, Ronaldo only had one more shot in the match from a free kick that went over the bar.
 |
| Ronaldo regrets after missing a shot against Al Ittihad at King Abdullah Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the evening of January 26. Photo: AFP |
In the Saudi Super Cup semi-final on the evening of January 26 at King Abdullah Stadium, the home team Al Ittihad opened the scoring thanks to Romarinho in the 15th minute. Striker Abderrazak Hamdallah increased the score to 2-0 at the end of the first half. Anderson Talisca pulled one back for Al Nassr in the 67th minute, but they could not score more. In the extra minute, defender Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti scored the winning goal for Al Ittihad 3-1, helping the team to the final against Al Feiha.
Al Ittihad are managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, and the former Tottenham boss said he had a plan in place to stop Ronaldo. "Of course we cannot underestimate the presence of a superstar like Ronaldo," he said. "I have instructed my defenders to stop him."
This is Ronaldo's second game for Al Nassr but he has yet to score. In his first game in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo scored twice in a friendly between Riyad All Stars and PSG. Al Nassr are leading the Saudi Pro League with 33 points after 14 games and will next face Al Fateh on February 3.
