Cong Phuong and the story of joining Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc.
After leaving Yokohama (Japan), Cong Phuong decided to return home to play for Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc, a team in the First Division. From a professional standpoint, this is a step backward in the career of the striker from Nghe An.
As of now,Cong Phuong He is the Vietnamese player with the most overseas stints, having played for Mito Hollyhock (Japan), Incheon United (South Korea), Sint-Truiden (Belgium), and Yokohama (Japan) respectively. However, none of these ventures yielded the desired results.
In nearly five seasons playing abroad, the familiar position of the striker born in 1995 was on the substitutes' bench. According to statistics, the player nicknamed "Vietnamese Messi" only made a total of 17 appearances, playing a mere 536 minutes, and did not score a single goal.
Especially during his time playing in Japan, Cong Phuong was only known for "handing out flyers at subway stations" and "making delicious coffee". Clearly, Cong Phuong's presence in the "Land of the Rising Sun", the "Land of Kimchi", and the "Land of Chocolate" was essentially purely commercial, similar to Quang Hai, Van Hau, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh...
As a consequence of spending countless hours warming the bench in foreign lands, Cong Phuong suffered a dramatic decline in form and frequently missed opportunities to wear the Vietnamese national team jersey. The last time Cong Phuong wore the red jersey was in a friendly match against Palestine on September 11, 2023.
Despite rumors of his departure from Yokohama circulating for quite some time, Cong Phuong has yet to receive any "red carpet" offers from V.League teams. One of the reasons why the former Hoang Anh Gia Lai striker is struggling to find a new club in Vietnam's most prestigious football league is his high signing bonus (over 6 billion VND/year).
Ultimately, Cong Phuong had to accept joining the big club in the National First Division, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc. By agreeing to join the team nicknamed "The Green Warriors," Cong Phuong ended his disappointing adventure in Japan. It's a pity for Cong Phuong, and a pity for Vietnamese football.
Hopefully, Cong Phuong will perform excellently, contributing to helping Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc achieve their goals in the 2024/2025 National First Division League. And the door to a comeback will open.Vietnam national team The door remains wide open for the striker from Nghe An./.
