Star striker Cong Vinh is back in Vietnam after experiencing the harsh realities of life in the Portuguese football league with Leixoes club.

Cong Vinh (white)

It’s not the first time that Cong Vinh had been abroad but his trip to Portugal has proved to be very different and demanding. Suffering homesickness, he complained he had no colleagues, coach or relatives to turn to.

“I missed my home, my family and especially my girlfriend very much,” he said.

“I called home everyday but homesickness was still there. In Portugal, I wanted to return home everyday. I am now very happy I can see my family, my girlfriend and to play football with my teammates and work with coach Calisto,” Vinh said.

Cong Vinh also missed Vietnamese cooking.

“Portuguese food is not usual for me. I longed for Vietnamese food. Luckily, coach Calisto’s wife cooked Vietnamese cuisines very well. However, I didn’t have much chance to enjoy her food because I was busy at Leixoes,” he added.

In his early weeks in Portugual, Cong Vinh said his new teammates didn’t cooperate with him.

“Leixoes is completely different from T&T Hanoi or Song Lam Nghe An, the teams I have played for. The Portuguese League is also different from V-League. Language, food, habits, training exercises, etc. are different. Meanwhile, I was there alone. After the training class, I only stayed in my room to surf the web. I was so lonely.

“In addition, Leixoes players had a different view about Asia so I felt isolated. However my teammates understood that I came to Leixoes to play football, not to advertise or to travel. The gap was gradually narrowed and we became friendlier to each other”.

Cong Vinh tried his best to adapt himself to his new environment.

He will always be the first Vietnamese footballer to officially play football in Europe.

He still believes his time with Leixoes was very useful.

“In Portugal, you must have good physical strength to play football. I had to work very hard to achieve it. The difference between V-League and Portugal League is quality and professionalism. I’m now much stronger. My endurance, techniques and tactics have also improved. I think that I’ve learnt a lot of useful things. In my opinion, if Vietnamese players have a chance to play football in Europe, they should take it as a good chance to improve themselves”.

Having arrived in Hanoi on the morning of October 10, he trained with the national team squad in the afternoon. The team will play against Syria at the My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, in a qualifying match of the Asian Cup 2011 on November 14. A day later, he will fly to Syria for the second match and then back to Portugal.

Cong Vinh’s contract with Leixoes will expire on December 31, 2009. If Leixoes wish to extend the contract, his local club, T&T Hanoi will have to make a decision on whether to allow him to go.

VietNamNet/VNE