Star striker Le Cong Vinh, who
scored the decisive goal in the final of the 2008 Southeast Asia football
championships, spent four months in Portugal playing football and another four
months getting treatment for a ligament injury. Vinh returns to his former club
Ha Noi T&T, V-League defending V-League champions, for the new season. He spoke
to Viet Nam News about his stay in Portugal and this season’s V-League
prospects.

When did you return to Viet Nam? How is your injury? How are things at the club?

Champing at the bit: Le Cong Vinh (left) will return to action this season after nearly one year sidelined because of injury.(Photo: VNS)

I
returned to Viet Nam on October 10 last year. At the moment, everything is going
well for me at the club. People here have helped me a lot. I am still recovering
from the ligament injury I suffered last April. After seven months of being
away, I have recovered about 85 per cent and can begin to play V-League matches
after the Lunar New Year [February 3].

Could you share with us some of your experiences and impressions about the time
you lived and played football in Portugal? What was the most important lesson
you learnt?

In
Portugal, I once trained alongside Brazilian player Anderson of Manchester
United. I received much help from Anderson and especially, the family of
Henrique Calisto (Vietnamese national team coach).

I have
many good memories from the two trips to Portugal. I played three matches for
Leixoes in the Portuguese National Cup competition and scored three goals. I
also played two matches for Leixoes in Portuguese football championship, La Liga,
but scored no goal.

During
the second trip to Portugal for treatment, I felt more familiar and at ease with
the life and people in Portugal. The treatment for football injuries in Portugal
is very good. Calisto’s family made me feel that it was like my second home.

In the past, there have been some stars in Southeast Asia who’ve plied their
trade abroad. For example, Kiatisak Senamuang of Thailand once played football
in England and Le Huynh Duc of Viet Nam did in China. But they came back after
less than a year with little success. Why do you think this happens?

Southeast Asian players in general and Vietnamese players in particular will
find it difficult to play football successfully abroad because there are a gap
in the skills level, lifestyle and the language barrier.

Besides
skills and a tactical mind, European football requires players to be well built
and have a lot of physical strength, which is usually are the weak points for
Vietnamese and Southeast Asian players.

The
difference in lifestyle also plays a part. In Viet Nam, players live, train and
eat together throughout the competition but in Portugal, a footballer is like a
civil servant. He will come to the training pitch from home at the time of
training and return home to be with his wife and children after the training
hours.

The
language barrier is one of the difficult problems facing foreign players. In
Portugal, few people speak English and my English is not very good. This
prevents me from communicating with the coach and teammates in training and I
could not share my thoughts and problems with people.

Before the injury, you were the captain of Ha Noi T&T and now the Christiano has
the role. Do you want your leadership role back?

When I
rejoined the club, I talked to the club’s leaders and coach, informing them I
did not intend to be the captain again and that Christiano was the person to
wear the armband because he has done his job well so far and brought luck to the
club.

Moreover, my contract with the club will expire next year, so I only want to
play as well as possible and contribute as much as possible to the club.

In your view, who are the contenders for the V-League title this year?

In my
opinion, the title race this season is between Becamex Binh Duong, SHB Da Nang
and defending champions Ha Noi T&T. Although it is going to be very difficult
for Ha Noi T&T to defend the title, I believe we can retain the trophy.

Then
there are some potential candidates like Song Lam Nghe An and Navibank Sai Gon
who could spring a few surprises.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News