Failure should be recalculated
No Vietnamese player has yet been truly successful when playing abroad. The one who left the most impression was Nguyen Xuan Nam when he played for SHB Vientiane in the Lao national championship. In cases of going to football countries considered to have a higher level, no one has made a difference.
Most recently, Nguyen Cong Phuong - a player who caused a lot of controversy when he went to Japan for nearly 2 years and then returned to the First Division to play for Binh Phuoc club. The 29-year-old striker played for 4 teams outside of Vietnam but the number of matches he started each season never exceeded 5.
Most Vietnamese players start going abroad when they have demonstrated their abilities and have a certain reputation. At that time, many factors affect the determination of this group of players. Some go abroad just to “escape” their old team. Others simply think of it as a test, and some players go abroad as a media contract.
There are still very young people going abroad such as Vu Minh Hieu or Nguyen Canh Anh, Bui Ngoc Long, Pham Van Luan... Similar to their seniors, they also rarely get to play. In return, when returning to Vietnam, the young talents somewhat show certain progress when being called up to the U23 Vietnam and the Vietnam national team.
When is the right time to go abroad?
The timing of going abroad plays an important role in the career of every Vietnamese player. Many players have given up their dream of going abroad because the amount of money they are paid in the country is too large, far exceeding what they receive in major football countries. It is difficult to blame the players, because football is a profession and everyone needs to earn money.
However, if they choose to go abroad, they need great determination and confidence. There was once a case where a player really wanted to play abroad, but when he heard the salary, he shook his head. Because he was just a new player, he did not have enough financial resources to forget about money and focus 100% on football.
On the contrary, going abroad at a young age is not a bad choice. Players have no choice but to focus all their energy on playing to advance their careers.
However, not everyone is as lucky as Canh Anh or Bui Van Long to go abroad and try their hand through diplomatic relations or exchange contracts with football teams.
In fact, young players who have not yet proven their abilities find it difficult to be noticed by good teams abroad. They need a suitable environment to develop their abilities. And on the current path, Vietnamese football has not created a path for players to leave the country's borders.
The question of when is the right time to go abroad - remains an ellipsis.
