Calisto invites Cong Vinh with a salary of 10,000 USD/month
If he agrees to join Muang Thong United at the invitation of former Vietnam national team coach Henrique Calisto, Cong Vinh will become the first Vietnamese player to receive a record high salary of up to 10,000 USD/month.
In 2008, after winning the Southeast Asian championship with the Vietnamese team, Le Cong Vinh moved from Song Lam Nghe An to Hanoi T&T. Cong Vinh's transfer went down in Vietnamese football history for its record value. Coming to Hanoi T&T, Cong Vinh received a "bribe" of nearly 8 billion VND along with a salary of nearly 50 million VND per month.
During his three years at Hanoi T&T, Cong Vinh did not contribute much to the team's expertise. In 2009, the striker from Quynh Luu - Nghe An scored 14 goals for Hanoi T&T, becoming the domestic player with the most goals in V-League 2009. Immediately after that, Cong Vinh - thanks to the relationship of coach Calisto, transferred to play for Leixoes in the Portuguese National Championship. In Europe, Cong Vinh did not show much except for a few goals in friendly matches.
Cong Vinh is one of the students that coach Calisto loves the most when leading the Vietnamese team. Photo: Hoang Ha
Returning to Vietnam to play for Hanoi T&T in V-League 2010, Cong Vinh was involved in a scandal of kneeling down to referee Vu Bao Linh on Cao Lanh field in a match against Dong Thap. The number one striker of Vietnamese football was fined 10 million VND and suspended for 6 matches. Disappointed with the heavy penalty, Cong Vinh once announced that he would retire. The Vietnam Football Federation later reduced Cong Vinh's suspension to three matches. Before he could be happy, Cong Vinh suffered a serious injury. In V-League 2010, Hanoi T&T won the championship but Cong Vinh, their expensive star, had to sit in the audience for the most part.
After 10 months of injury, Cong Vinh returned to play in the match where Hanoi T&T lost 0-2 to SHB Da Nang in the third round of V-League 2011. This year, Hanoi T&T only finished second, but Cong Vinh scored 10 goals, once again becoming the best domestic striker – along with Dinh Tung of Thanh Hoa.
The end of V-League 2011 is also the time when Le Cong Vinh's three-year contract with Hanoi T&T ends. The striker from Nghe An announced that he wants to become a free agent while Hanoi T&T also expressed his desire for him to continue staying. Le Cong Vinh's future has been the topic of Vietnamese football for nearly a month now. There is news that Vinh wants to move to the South to play near his girlfriend, singer Thuy Tien. If he chooses this path, Cong Vinh's destination could be Navibank Saigon or Saigon Xuan Thanh - two "big" teams.
Le Cong Vinh confirmed that he was invited to try out by Slavia Praha (Czech Republic). During a relaxing trip after V-League 2011 in Thailand, Cong Vinh met again with coach Calisto - who is currently leading Muang Thong United Club playing in the Thai League. Mr. Calisto wants Vinh to play for Muang Thong. If he goes to Muang Thong, Cong Vinh will receive a salary of 10,000 USD/month, equal to Thonglao - Thailand's number one star. Playing at Muang Thong, Cong Vinh will compete with most of the brightest stars of the Thai people and especially Fowler - former superstar of Liverpool Club.
The star striker rejected Muang Thong and Slavia Praha because he still wanted to play in the V-League. Cong Vinh revealed that when he chooses a new destination, he will hold a press conference to end all rumors surrounding his future.
According to VnExpress