V.League: Veterans make a surprising comeback to the pitch.
(Baonghean.vn) - In recent seasons, the V.League has witnessed quite a few players returning to play after a period away from professional football.
1. Doan Viet Cuong
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| Doan Viet Cuong. Photo: Duc Dong |
During the second half of the 2017 V.League season, Ho Chi Minh City FC surprised football experts and fans alike by registering former national team player Doan Viet Cuong in their squad. The reason the player from Dong Thap province "returned" to the pitch after two years of other work was due to a suggestion from his former teammate in the Vietnamese national team, Le Cong Vinh. At that time, Le Cong Vinh was serving as the acting chairman of Ho Chi Minh City FC.
2. Phung Van Nhien
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| Phung Van Nhien (in red shirt). Photo: MC |
Similar to the case of Doan Viet Cuong, Phung Van Nhien also returned to professional football after a period of "hanging up his boots" (over 2 years). The team welcoming the "comeback" of the player born in 1982 is Nam Dinh. Before achieving many successes with HAGL (2009 - 2014) and Hai Phong (2015 - 2017), Phung Van Nhien was a product of the Nam Dinh youth academy and played for the team from 2002 - 2008.
3. Nguyen Anh Duc
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| Nguyen Anh Duc in the Vietnamese national team jersey. Photo: Hoang Linh |
At the end of the 2019 season, Nguyen Anh Duc bid farewell to B.Binh Duong. It was thought that the striker, nicknamed Duc "Eto'o," would retire from playing to focus on his business ventures (sports equipment and artificial turf). However, during the 2020 mid-season transfer window, Nguyen Anh Duc unexpectedly joined HAGL. Currently, the striker born in 1985 is under contract with Long An, a team competing in the First Division.
4. Au Van Hoan
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| Au Van Hoan. Photo: SHB Da Nang Club |
A few days ago, right-back Au Van Hoan decided to "return" to the pitch to play for Hai Phong for the remainder of the 2021 season. It is known that the new Chairman, Van Tran Hoan, and head coach Pham Anh Tuan personally persuaded the 1989-born player to join the Hai Phong team with a contract until the end of this season. Thus, Hai Phong is the fifth team Au Van Hoan has played for, afterSLNA, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City Club and SHB Da Nang.
It's certain that in the near future, more players will return to competition after retiring from football, just like Doan Viet Cuong, Phung Van Nhien, Nguyen Anh Duc, and Au Van Hoan. Indeed, in football, anything can happen.
