The story of foreign players in V.League 2017

(Baonghean.vn) - The 2017 V-League features 31 foreign players (excluding 8 naturalized players) from 15 countries. Among them are quite a few players with high professional quality, such as...Moses Oloya, Gonzalo Damian Marronkle (both from HN FC), Victor Ormazabal (TP.HCM), Pape Omar Faye (FLC Thanh Hóa). The presence of these players makes the atmosphere on Vietnamese football pitches much more vibrant.

First and foremost, it must be stated that without foreign players, the V-League would see a significant decrease in audience numbers. The increasing number of high-quality players allows Vietnamese fans to witness many exciting plays and beautiful goals firsthand.

Vietnamese players also learn individual techniques, tactical thinking, and a professional style in training and daily life from foreign players. All V-League champion teams have foreign players who are among the top scorers of the season. For many years, no Vietnamese player has won the V-League top scorer award.

Moses (center) is a "blockbuster" signing in the 2017 V-League season.

Of the 31 foreign players, 15 are from 5 countries in the Americas, with Brazil having the most with 7 players, followed by Nigeria and Argentina with 4 and 3 players respectively. There are 11 players from Africa, 3 from Europe, and 2 from Asia. As the world's largest exporter of football players, it's quite understandable that Brazil has 7 foreign players of Brazilian nationality.

V-League teams are quite fond of the technical playing style of Brazilian players. Most players from this country can play multiple positions on the field, possess considerable physical fitness, and lead relatively healthy lifestyles. The Brazilian player community also knows how to share information with each other, so clubs practically don't incur transfer fees when recruiting them. The only obstacle is that the country uses Portuguese, a language not commonly spoken in Vietnam.

Regarding African players, after the scandals surrounding their conduct, teams are hesitant to use Ugandan players and have switched to Nigerian players. All four Nigerian players are forwards who play a powerful, aggressive style, which coaches really appreciate. Only three Argentinian players currently play in the V-League, but they are all key players for Hanoi, SHB Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City, with Gonzalo Damian Marronkle being able to play every position except goalkeeper.

After the unsuccessful attempts to recruit South Korean players, teams have recently shown interest in Asian players, namely Masaaki Ideguchi (Japan) of HAGL and Alvaro Linares Silva (Philippines) of Hanoi FC. In fact, center-back Alvaro Linares Silva is a Spanish player who acquired Philippine citizenship, hence his relatively tall and strong physique.

Of the 31 foreign players, 25 are forwards, 2 midfielders, and 4 defenders. However, this division is only approximate, as nearly 50% of the foreign forwards can also play as midfielders. The foreign defenders (all center-backs) such as Chaher Zarour (France), Ramon Rodrigues, and Alvaro Linares Silva (Philippines) all possess distinctive long passes and are excellent in aerial duels. Therefore, fans are wondering why HAGL chose Mobi Fehr (USA), sacrificing a foreign forward slot.

Of the 14 participating teams, Saigon FC and SLNA are truly playing a "foreign player gamble" by adding four names – Marcelo Fernandes, Patrick Dos Santos Cruz (both from Brazil), Olaha (Nigeria), and Henry (Trinidad & Tobago) – at the last minute. Meanwhile, Hanoi FC and Than Quang Ninh, due to their participation in the AFC Cup, have an advantage as they are allowed to register four and three foreign players respectively.

Due to the rushed recruitment process, foreign players are a "gamble" for SLNA this season. Photo: AT

Currently, only 6 teams use exactly 2 foreign players: HAGL, XSKT. Can Tho, Long An, SLNA, Saigon, and Khanh Hoa, with no naturalized players. Among these, only HAGL uses only domestic players in their attack, with Mobi Fehr playing in defense and Masaaki Ideguchi in midfield.

To know how well or poorly foreign players teams utilize their players, we'll have to wait and see. But it's safe to say that foreign players have become an indispensable part of the V-League!

AT