With professional football, the value of a player is not only the numbers on the contract, but also the development potential in the future. However, looking at the current situation of Vietnamese football, we can see more clearly the paradox of players being "locked down" in billion-dollar contracts in the country.
For a player in his twenties, receiving offers with high signing bonuses and salaries is an irresistible temptation. Economically, it is a guarantee. But strategically, this could be a "sweet trap".
When the level of V.League is still far from the top football backgrounds in Asia, staying for too long will cause the thinking and intensity of players to reach the ceiling early. Young players choose to prioritize domestic income instead of risking going abroad, they are choosing the option of "eating on capital" instead of investing in the future. A star can earn billions of VND at the age of twenty in Vietnam, but if not forged in a harsher environment, their professional value can easily decline when they are only about 26-27 years old.
The problem of going abroad has long been a nightmare for Vietnamese football. However, the failures of previous generations should not be a barrier, but must be a lesson to re-plan the strategy. A very specific strategy, from prioritizing choosing which tournament is suitable to the terms in the contract, and then needing a team of consultants, support, media, brand building...
To let young players dare to take risks, we cannot just rely on their personal will. Clubs also need to change their thinking from "owning assets" to "investing and rotating". Instead of looking at the shopping season and only seeing the price attached to foreign players, while domestic players only transfer freely or are loaned out, it is sad.
The journey to escape the "safe zone" is always full of risks, but that is the path for a young player to rise to become a continental-level star. If we keep cherishing the "rough gems" in the cabinet of the domestic league at virtual prices, we may have rich players, but we will forever lack true warriors capable of taking Vietnamese football further.
