Denilson signs for Vietnam team
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HANOI - FORMER Brazilian international Denilson, once the world's most expensive footballer, has agreed to play for a mid-table Vietnamese side, newspapers reported on Tuesday.
A member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning team, Denilson, 31, will join Hai Phong Cement for the second half of the professional V-League season that begins this month, Thanh Nien newspaper said.
It said Denilson had his first practice session with the team on Monday.
African, European and Asian players have become common on Vietnamese football teams but a World Cup winner of Denilson's stature is a rarity for the country.
Neither Thanh Nien nor other newspapers said how much Denilson will be paid, and club officials could not be reached by AFP.
'I don't know anything about Vietnamese football,' Denilson told Thanh Nien, adding that football is the same everywhere.
He said a Brazilian friend introduced him to the country.
'I come to Vietnamese football with my passion,' he said, expressing a hope to play in the communist country for a long time.
Hai Phong Cement (Xi Mang Hai Phong) are currently sixth of 14 teams in the V-League. -- AFP
Why not come Singapore huh?? SAF Warriors!!
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Next stop, SINGAPORE!!
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Singapore, SAFFC
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I think Singapore is better than Vietnam on a national level?
Afterall isnt the SLeague in the "top 10 Leagues in Asia"?
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Originally posted by Marco_Simone:
I think Singapore is better than Vietnam on a national level?
Afterall isnt the SLeague in the "top 10 Leagues in Asia"?
the actually meaning for TOP 10 Leagues is
S-League is 9th place or 10th place -
pls join liverpool,and relegate them to f&n coca cola championship
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After playing a half a game with Vietnam's Hai Phong Cement FC, former Brazil international Denilson has shocked fans by quitting the team because of injuries, the Vietnam Football Federation said.
Denilson, once the world's most expensive soccer player, scored a goal from a free kick in the first minutes of his only V-League appearance on Sunday to help Hai Phong Cement defeat former champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 3-1 and snap a losing streak.
He sat out the second half when the coach recognised that a right leg injury was holding him back, the Vietnam News reported.
The VFF said he had quit the team on Tuesday and was planning to leave the country.
"One more time, fans were as shocked as his surprise appearance a few days ago," the VFF report said.
Denilson had missed two earlier games, angering expectant fans, before making his debut on Sunday.
The Brazilian came to the northern Vietnamese port city earlier this month after months of cajoling and coaxing. The transfer delighted the mid-table V-League team's fans, who welcomed the 31-year-old to practice in the port city with a motorcade of scooters, flags and flares.
But his swift exit was sure to rankle Hai Phong supporters, who are known for their rowdy behaviour.
Last Friday, the federation banned their fans attending away games if they wear clothes bearing the team's symbols or name.
That decision came days after Hai Phong supporters clashed with paramilitary police in Hanoi when the team lost a match. Police used dogs and electric batons to disperse the crowd, while some fans fought back by hurling objects at the police lines.
Denilson was the subject of a world transfer record in 1998 when Real Betis paid more than $35m to sign him.
The VFF report said the Brazilian's contract only stipulated payment for matches he played.
He was paid $12,000 for the match and a $5,000 bonus for the goal, it was reported.
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regret decision liao.
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i think its a plot. They sign him on a 1 match contract and supporters will buy the jersey.