Check out SLNA's 6 best foreign players in the past 19 seasons

Thanh Hung• April 25, 2020 10:53

(Baonghean.vn) - Since the 2001 season until now, SLNA has owned many quality foreign players, who have contributed a lot to the team's achievements. Here are the 6 most notable faces

1. Midfielder Iddi Batabuje (Uganda)

Midfielder Iddi Batambuje joined SLNA in the 2001 season, the first season that V.League teams were allowed to use foreign players in their squad. It is not an exaggeration to say that Iddi Batambuje's excellence as a central midfielder contributed to SLNA winning the 2001 V.League championship, the second consecutive championship of the Nghe An team in the most prestigious tournament in Vietnam.

Iddi Batambuje (hàng sau, thứ 2 từ bên trái sang). Ảnh: Quang Minh

Iddi Batambuje (back row, second from left). Photo: Quang Minh

According to former coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, the Ugandan player is a midfielder with a strong physical foundation, basic personal skills and excellent tactical vision. The title of Best Foreign Player in V.League 2001 is a clear proof of the excellence of the former SLNA and Da Nang midfielder.

2. Forward Rajko Vidovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

It took many seasons, after Iddi Batambuje left Vinh Stadium, for the Nghe An team to own a quality foreign player. That is striker Rajko Vidovic.

Rajko Vidovic thời còn chơi bóng. Ảnh: playmakerstats.com

Rajko Vidovic during his playing days. Photo: playmakerstats.com

This player with a bald head joined SLNA at the beginning of the 2010 season and played quite impressively. With 11 goals in the 2010 V.League and a great contribution to the 2010 National Cup championship, the striker from Bosnia & Herzegovina is considered one of SLNA's best foreign players in history. Remember, Rajko Vidovic joined the Nghe An team when he was on the other side of his career (35 years old). At the end of the 2012 season, the player born in 1975 said goodbye to SLNA to return to his hometown.

3. Forward Kavin Bryan (Jamaica)

Moving to SLNA with his compatriot Diego Fagan at the beginning of the 2011 season, Kavin Bryan did not take long to integrate and shine in the V.League arena. The 2011 V.League championship of the Nghe An team had a significant contribution from the striker born in 1984.

Kavin Bryan (left). Photo: Hai Anh

In addition to scoring 7 goals, Kavin Bryan also did a great job of supporting his teammates around him. If the Jamaican player had not suffered a serious injury and had to sit out the rest of the season after the 15th round, SLNA would not have had to struggle so much on their journey to the 2011 V.League championship.

4. Midfielder Hector Kerin (Trinidad & Tobago)

The player born in 1985 joined SLNA at the beginning of the 2012 season and quickly asserted his talent and importance to the home team. In 2 seasons playing for SLNA, Hector Kerin played 45 matches and scored 14 goals.

Hecto Kerin (number 7). Photo: Duc Dong

Objectively speaking, Hector Kerin was the "soul" of SLNA in the 2012-2013 season, before being on the payroll of Hanoi FC, the team that had been pursuing this player for quite a long time. Surely, Nghe An football fans still cannot forget the small midfielder who often wore the number 7 shirt. It can be said that the best years of Hector Kerin's career were in SLNA's shirt.

5. Striker Michael Olaha (Nigeria)

Despite a rather disappointing start to the 2017 season, the Nigerian striker has proven his talent and importance to SLNA the more he plays. After helping the Nghe An team win the 2017 National Cup, Michael Olaha was retained by the Nghe An team to play for the next two seasons, with extremely generous incentives.

Michael Olaha (yellow shirt). Photo archive

Unfortunately, at the end of last season, SLNA could not successfully retain Michael Olaha due to the lure of Hapoel Tel Aviv Club (Israel). After 2 seasons playing for SLNA, the player born in 1996 played 76 matches and scored a total of 18 goals (only in the V.League arena).

6. Center back Damir Memovic (Serbia)

Although he only played for SLNA for 1 season, the player born in 1989 still managed to prove his class. Recruited by SLNA to fill the position of Que Ngoc Hai (transferred to Viettel), Damir Memovic played excellently, contributing greatly to help SLNA become the team with the most solid defense in V.League 2019, with only 26 goals conceded.

Damir Memovic (standing in the middle). Photo courtesy

However, instead of continuing to play for the Nghe An team, Damir Memovic decided to join HAGL. It is not an exaggeration to say that Damir Memovic was a "worth every penny" deal for SLNA last season. The departure of the Serbian player made SLNA fans extremely regretful.

Above are the 6 best foreign players of SLNA from the 2001 season to the 2019 season./.

Check out SLNA's 6 best foreign players in the past 19 seasons

excellent foreign players

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Michael Olaha

Damir Memovic

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