Vietnam football transfers in the time of 'inflation'
(Baonghean.vn) - In recent years, although the economy has not shown signs of recovery and many clubs have encountered difficulties in terms of funding, the price of Vietnamese football players has been "inflating" at a high level in a not very positive direction.
The Story of Europe and Saudi Arabia
In early 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo surprised everyone when he left Man United and went to Saudi Arabia to join Al Nassr. The presence of the Portuguese star in the Saudi Pro League paved the way for a large-scale "migration", the landing of the world's top football stars to this land.
The tournament continues to welcome 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, with a salary of up to 84 million pounds a year, with a 3-year contract to play at Al Ittihad. Another former world champion, Kante, also receives 67.6 million pounds a year when signing a 4-year contract with the same team as Benzema.
The most recent case is Neymar moving from PSG to Al Hilal. To get the signature of the Brazilian superstar, the Saudi Arabian team had to spend up to 250 million euros. Of which, 90 million euros were paid immediately to PSG (excluding additional fees), and 160 million euros went straight into Neymar's personal pocket.
Even a team that finished second to last last season in the Saudi Pro League "changed blood" by owning a trio that is still at the peak of its form: Riyad Mahrez from Man City (30 million euros), Roberto Firmino from Liverpool (free transfer) and Allan Saint-Maximin from Newcastle (27 million euros).
According to statistics, nearly 30 big stars of world football have returned to Saudi Arabia and can take this tournament to a higher level, surpassing other tournaments in Europe. The 2023 summer transfer window in Europe has not ended and the flight bringing stars from Europe to Saudi Arabia will not stop.
Jurgen Klopp, who said he would never spend £100m on a player in 2016, has had to come to terms with the madness of player prices. “Everything has changed. Do I like it? No! But I realise I was wrong. That’s the way things are, even if it’s not a good thing.”
Obviously, the influx of big stars at exorbitant prices makes the tournament more attractive, but it also shows an unimaginable "inflation" of the world transfer market.
Vietnam is not Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian football seems to be following the footsteps of Chinese football when they are doing football from the top. That is, using money to develop the football system, buying players at all costs instead of developing youth football. Some Vietnamese football clubs must understand this story, but unfortunately, they still choose to do football from the top.
The most sensational transfers in recent years have been to the Hanoi Police Club, with the presence of famous stars such as Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Quang Hai, Ho Tan Tai, Doan Van Hau, etc., and many more to come. Of course, the price to get them is not cheap. There are even players who are willing to break their original promises and break their contracts with their home clubs to leave.
The 2023/24 V.League transfer market has not officially started (from September 1), but Becamex Binh Duong is ready to spend up to 6 billion VND/season for Que Ngoc Hai. Although previously, Hong Linh Ha Tinh valued the former captain of Song Lam Nghe An at a very high price of 4 - 4.5 billion VND/season and Song Lam Nghe An at about 3.5 billion VND - 4 billion VND/season. Similarly, although there is still 1 year left on the contract withLam River Nghe An, but Xuan Manh followed Van Duc to the capital with a higher signing bonus.
Also doing football from the top in V.League is Topenland Binh Dinh Club. They brought in a series of stars at huge prices such as Ho Tan Tai, Dang Van Lam, Nghiem Xuan Tu, Mac Hong Quan... And today, the "blockbuster" named Dang Van Lam of Binh Dinh is now looking for a new destination even though he still has a 2-year contract. This is the result of the economic downturn and the financial burden on the home team. From the lesson of Than Quang Ninh, Saigon, Can Tho and which team will be next when the source of money is no longer abundant.
Speaking about Saudi Arabia's way of doing football, the President of the European Football Confederation, Aleksander Ceferin, once shared: "I think that is a mistake of Saudi Arabian football. Similar to Chinese football before. They bring in players who are on the other side of their career. Tell me a top player at the peak of his career who is playing in Saudi Arabia. That is a problem for them."
“Saudi Arabia should invest in academies, bring in good coaches and they should develop their own players. Buying players at the end of their careers is not the way to develop football,” the UEFA president concluded.
Back to the story of Vietnamese football. After decades of pursuing professional football, V.League teams are still struggling with the problem of retaining the players they have trained themselves. On the contrary, rich teams that do not focus on youth training are still willing to spend money to buy players at sky-high prices.
Unfortunately, Vietnam in general and V.League clubs in particular are not like Saudi Arabia in terms of economy, spending power and future efficiency. However, the UEFA President's advice is probably not only for Saudi Arabian or Chinese football but also for V.League teams./.