Top 10 players with the highest handball but...
In the top 10 players with the highest handball in the history of Vietnamese football, 3 players playing in the center-back position are present, including Vu Nhu Thanh, Que Ngoc Hai and Tran Dinh Trong.
For Nhu Thanh, there was a time when this former central defender had more than 50 billion VND in hand from investment, business and income from football. In his career, he has earned more than 20 billion VND from transferring to 6-7 different clubs.
A similar story with Que Ngoc Hai, one of the top central defenders of Vietnamese football from 2013 to present. After 3 transfers (Song Lam Nghe An - The Cong Viettel; The Cong Viettel - Song Lam Nghe An; Song Lam Nghe An - Binh Duong), the medical center in 1993 has out of pocket up to 26 billion VND.
Tran Dinh Trong is the 3rd central defender in the top 10 highest paid Vietnamese football stars. After only 2 transfers from Hanoi to Binh Dinh, before returning to the North to join Hanoi Police this season, the central defender who "hunted" for the West once brought home about 20 billion VND in signings.
This is a dream number for the majority of Vietnamese players. But compared to Dinh Trong's stature and talent, it is a pity that is not commensurate.
In 2018, Dinh Trong made his mark in the glorious journey of U23 Vietnam and the national team. He made a great contribution to helping U23 Vietnam reach the U23 Asian final.
At the 18th ASIAD, the Vietnam Olympic team did not concede any goals until the semi-final against Korea. The Vietnamese team also kept a clean sheet in the AFF Cup group stage and played steadily in the two finals against Malaysia.
All were contributed by Dinh Trong, a central defender who was among the best in Vietnam at that time.
Even before 2018, teammates and opponents had given many compliments to the Vietnamese central defender for his good thinking, judgment and intelligence. Quang Hai once shared: "If there were Dinh Trong, the defense would be more secure".
Regret for injuries
Since 2016, Dinh Trong has regularly played in the V.League for Saigon club (now dissolved). As a coach, observing Dinh Trong since his time in the Hanoi First Division, coach Nguyen Duc Thang has great confidence in his student born in 1997.
The nickname of "hunting" for the West was also soon associated with Dinh Trong, because he always knew how to deal with the pressure from foreign strikers.
As a top central defender in Vietnamese football, Dinh Trong has the ability to create a transfer record in the V.League, especially when the teams have always craved this position every season.
In both transfers in his career, the number that Dinh Trong received was still high (about 20 billion VND/5 years), but not enough to create a "twest". This is largely due to a complicated injury history and a direct impact on the 28-year-old centre-back's career.
In early 2019, due to a heel injury, Dinh Trong missed the Asian Cup with the Vietnam team. In the middle of the year, right at the time when his future was wide open, he broke the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee when Hanoi visited Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
This central defender was sent abroad for surgery. However, the rush to return for the 2019 SEA Games and the 2020 U23 Asian Cup finals has made Dinh Trong's condition worse day by day.
After trying his best to play in the U23 Asian tournament at that time, Dinh Trong had to go to the operating table. A year later, he underwent surgery on his knee cartilage. In 2023, Dinh Trong once again had problems with his left knee and had to miss the entire season.
There was a time when Dinh Trong confided: "To be honest, I don't blame anyone. The fault was that I was too hasty to return. If I had calmed down, everything would have been better."
Since leaving Hanoi FC after the 2021 season, Dinh Trong has played only 38 matches in the past 4 years. This season, he has only played 4 matches for Hanoi Police this season and has not left a significant impression. In fact, injuries have caused Dinh Trong to lose time, development prospects and self-worth.
To be fair, the 20 billion VND that Dinh Trong got came from the nostalgic valuation of the past. He himself needs to work harder to be worthy of the money the club has spent. Because it is difficult for any club to be willing to spend 3-5 billion VND after Dinh Trong's contract with Hanoi Police expires in 2027.
