Top striker Le Cong Vinh of Ha Noi T&T has scored 51 goals so far in his V-League career.

Striker Le Cong Vinh (red)

Vinh, 24, is the only Vietnamese striker on a list of the top V-league scorers in the last 10 years. He recently signed a four-year contract with Ha Noi T&T for a record transfer fee of US$400,000 to move from Song Lam Nghe An. He is the best paid Vietnamese footballer in V-League, with a monthly salary of approximately VND40 million ($2,400) from Ha Noi T&T.

The central Nghe An-born striker debuted his career at the International JVC-HCM City Sports Newspaper Cup in 2003, where he helped his home team Song Lam Nghe An lift the cup after beating Malaysia’s Perak 2-1.

The footballer netted his first V-League goal on February 8, 2004 when he scored one to help Song Lam Nghe An beat Dong Thap 3-0.

He has scored an average of 10 goals every year since taking the V-League field five years ago. His goal is to reach 100 goals in his career.

Vinh trails Brazilian Jose De Emidio Almeida from Da Nang, who has scored 59 V-League goals, and is tied with Brazilian Antonio Carlos, who plays for Quang Ngai in the First Division.

Although winner of the Golden Ball for the best footballer of the year three times in 2004, 2005 and 2007, Vinh has yet to win the Top Scorer Award in the premier football league.

“The year 2004 was a benchmark in my sports career because I had the opportunity to play in a professional championship. I’ve had success playing soccer over the last decade, but the 51 goals that I’ve scored so far partly resulted from the support of my teammates,” said Vinh.

“I work hard during training to prepare for netting the ball whenever I get a chance on the field. I proved myself when I scored two goals to help Viet Nam claim victory in the ASEAN Football Championship,” he added.

Vietnamese strikers compete against foreign players, who have dominated in V-League since 2002, for top statistics.

“We have to train hard to equal the top foreign scorers. They have created fierce competition within the league,” Vinh says.

According to former Thai star Kiatisuk Senamueng, Vinh is one of Viet Nam’s great players, because he knows how to overcome pressure at just the right moment for a bright finish.

Vinh’s dramatic goal in the final moments of the AFF Suzuki Cup against arch rivals Thailand sparked roars of jubilation from the 40,000 fans at My Dinh National Stadium last December.

Although Vinh is the best among Vietnamese strikers, the young player has a long way to go before he could surpass the current record holder, former national team member Nguyen Van Dung, who scored a total 120 goals over 13 years.

VietNamNet/VNS