What if Hoang Duc and Van Lam play in the first division?

" HOT" UNFORGETTABLE

The class gap between the V-League and the first division has always been a problem for Vietnamese football. The V-League is the highest level of the professional league system in Vietnam, gathering the best players, along with foreign players, naturalized players and players of Vietnamese origin. The first division mainly consists of young players, or players on the other side of their careers. Not being allowed to use foreign players also pushes the quality of the league down in terms of expertise, facilities and ambition.

Hoang Duc wears Ninh Binh club shirt with huge contract

However, this season is witnessing a drastic change. For example, Binh Phuoc team recruited former player Nguyen Cong Phuong with an extremely high contract fee, as a guarantee for the company's long-term investment commitment in football. In addition to the contracts with Cong Phuong, Tan Truong and Sam Ngoc Duc, who are all former Vietnamese players, Binh Phuoc team also cooperated with Technical Director Yusuke Adachi (former Technical Director of the Vietnam Football Federation), along with a team of experts from the leadership to the coaching staff from Japan. Recently, Binh Phuoc club also renovated the field, re-made the grass. Once a poor team that seemed "resigned" to the first division, the spectacular "transformation" of the team coached by former player Nguyen Anh Duc will bring a breath of fresh air, pushing the first division level up.

The 2024 - 2025 First Division also has a prominent "character" named Ninh Binh. The ancient capital team played big when bringing home the Golden Ball of Vietnam Nguyen Hoang Duc and the Bronze Ball of Vietnam Dang Van Lam. This team is led by coach Nguyen Viet Thang, possessing a quality squad that is not inferior to many V-League teams. Renovating the force with "huge" contracts, of course Ninh Binh's highest goal is a promotion ticket.

For a long time, the first division has been difficult to break through, not as attractive and competitive as the V-League. The minimum participation fee of 50 billion VND and many investment items such as buying foreign players, recruiting good domestic players, strengthening the youth team... may be the reason why many teams are not "blooded" to go up to the V-League, but only play moderately in the first division, without clear motivation. With at least 3 teams aiming for promotion this season (competing for 1.5 spots to the V-League), the first division will be fiery and unpredictable.

Van Lam becomes Hoang Duc's teammate in the first division

IMPORTANT IN PLAYERS

Will choosing to play in the first division cause Hoang Duc and Van Lam to lose their level? This is a question that many viewers have asked. However, commentator Vu Quang Huy believes that fans should look at it from a more positive perspective: "The first division environment will be different from the V-League, but with professionalism and diligence, Vietnamese players can still maintain high performance. Especially for players who do not play regularly for their home club like Cong Phuong (he left Japan with extremely few appearances), when they are able to compete regularly in the first division, it will be a good opportunity for Phuong to find himself again. In my opinion, the first division will be much more attractive and competitive than before thanks to the influx of many quality players."

Football expert Doan Minh Xuong commented that it is undeniable that the level of the first division is not as good as the V-League and this fact will not change even if the tournament has more stars like Hoang Duc and Van Lam. "However, step by step, the Vietnamese players will make the tournament more worth watching, especially in internal confrontations between strong teams like Ninh Binh, Binh Phuoc or PVF-CAND. Many people are worried that Van Lam, Cong Phuong or the national players playing in the first division will have difficulty developing, but in fact, whether or not there will be progress depends first on the training attitude and professionalism of each person, then the training and competition environment. There will be doubts that when superstars receive such large contract fees or bonuses, will they still want to make an effort? Time will tell. If the superstars are still dedicated, the first division will be very interesting."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoang-duc-van-lam-da-hang-nhat-thi-sao-185241011182444255.htm