Nearly 40 Brazilian players have joinedthe ranks of foreign footballers playing for the country’s 14 V-Leagueteams, Vietnam Football Federation statistics revealed.
The figure would be higher if the number of Brazilians signed with the lower First Division league was also counted.
Previously dominated by foreign players from Thailand and Africancountries, the numbers reflect a change that has occurred in theV-League over the past two years.
Overall, the quality of play from teams in V-League has improved thanksto an influx of Brazilian, Thai, Nigerian, Czech and Ghanian players.
Brazilian strikers lead the table of top V-League scorers over the last three years.
Merlo Gaston, who has scored 13 goals for Da Nang after 19 matches,shares top of the best scorers list with Brazilian Lazaro De Souza ofMilitary Zone 4.
Gaston teamed up with fellow countryman Jose De Emidio Almeida, who wonthe top scorer prize twice, in 2007 and 2008 with 16 and 23 goalsrespectively, and with Rafael Marquez and Molina Eduardo, who havescored 31 of 36 goals in Da Nang.
Almeida, 28, was also voted best V-League Foreign Player twice, in 2007 and 2008.
Leandro De Oliveira, who was appointed captain of Hai Phong Cementearly this year, has been one of the best playmakers among foreignfootballers in Vietnam.
The Brazilian maestro of the northern port city scored eight goals andhas been paired with Elenildo De Jesus, the 2006 Best Scorer, toprovide even more power for Hai Phong.
Last month, Hai Phong signed Brazilian football star Denilson deOliveira Araujo for the second half of the V-League season, but theformer World Cup winner ended his contract after only one game in threeweeks because of a leg injury that has yet to recover.
Other Brazalian players have made significant contributions to their teams.
Rogerio Pereira, 30, considered a tireless Da Nang midfielder, settledin the central city after being granted Vietnamese citizenship.
Pereira has played for Da Nang for over three years and he wants to make a new life in the coastal city with his family.
Brazilian striker Kesley Alves, who was also recently grantedVietnamese citizenship and ranked as top scorer in 2005 with 21 goalsfor Binh Duong, settled in the southern province and married a womanfrom HCM City.
The 28-year-old striker joins the list of top V-League goal hunters with eight goals over 19 games for the defending champions.
Keskey was the second Brazilian-born footballer called up by thenational team to a training session for the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Last year, goalkeeper Fabio Dos Santos of Dong Tam Long An was alsocalled by Henrique Calisto to practice with the national squad beforethe ASEAN football championship kicked off last December.
Santos was also the first foreign footballer granted Vietnamese citizenship to take a Vietnamese name: Phan Van Santos.
“I’ve been in Vietnam for six years and I find every thing here tobe fine. Vietnamese people are very friendly and I want to do somethingfor Vietnam’s football,” Santos said.
“I wish I could build a goalkeeper’s training centre in Vietnamafter retirement. I’m 30 and I still have several years to play forLong An.”
The Cong, or Army team, coach Le Thuy Hai travelled to Brazil to recruit Vanderlei Lima, Gilson Da Silva and De Olivera./.
The figure would be higher if the number of Brazilians signed with the lower First Division league was also counted.
Previously dominated by foreign players from Thailand and Africancountries, the numbers reflect a change that has occurred in theV-League over the past two years.
Overall, the quality of play from teams in V-League has improved thanksto an influx of Brazilian, Thai, Nigerian, Czech and Ghanian players.
Brazilian strikers lead the table of top V-League scorers over the last three years.
Merlo Gaston, who has scored 13 goals for Da Nang after 19 matches,shares top of the best scorers list with Brazilian Lazaro De Souza ofMilitary Zone 4.
Gaston teamed up with fellow countryman Jose De Emidio Almeida, who wonthe top scorer prize twice, in 2007 and 2008 with 16 and 23 goalsrespectively, and with Rafael Marquez and Molina Eduardo, who havescored 31 of 36 goals in Da Nang.
Almeida, 28, was also voted best V-League Foreign Player twice, in 2007 and 2008.
Leandro De Oliveira, who was appointed captain of Hai Phong Cementearly this year, has been one of the best playmakers among foreignfootballers in Vietnam.
The Brazilian maestro of the northern port city scored eight goals andhas been paired with Elenildo De Jesus, the 2006 Best Scorer, toprovide even more power for Hai Phong.
Last month, Hai Phong signed Brazilian football star Denilson deOliveira Araujo for the second half of the V-League season, but theformer World Cup winner ended his contract after only one game in threeweeks because of a leg injury that has yet to recover.
Other Brazalian players have made significant contributions to their teams.
Rogerio Pereira, 30, considered a tireless Da Nang midfielder, settledin the central city after being granted Vietnamese citizenship.
Pereira has played for Da Nang for over three years and he wants to make a new life in the coastal city with his family.
Brazilian striker Kesley Alves, who was also recently grantedVietnamese citizenship and ranked as top scorer in 2005 with 21 goalsfor Binh Duong, settled in the southern province and married a womanfrom HCM City.
The 28-year-old striker joins the list of top V-League goal hunters with eight goals over 19 games for the defending champions.
Keskey was the second Brazilian-born footballer called up by thenational team to a training session for the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Last year, goalkeeper Fabio Dos Santos of Dong Tam Long An was alsocalled by Henrique Calisto to practice with the national squad beforethe ASEAN football championship kicked off last December.
Santos was also the first foreign footballer granted Vietnamese citizenship to take a Vietnamese name: Phan Van Santos.
“I’ve been in Vietnam for six years and I find every thing here tobe fine. Vietnamese people are very friendly and I want to do somethingfor Vietnam’s football,” Santos said.
“I wish I could build a goalkeeper’s training centre in Vietnamafter retirement. I’m 30 and I still have several years to play forLong An.”
The Cong, or Army team, coach Le Thuy Hai travelled to Brazil to recruit Vanderlei Lima, Gilson Da Silva and De Olivera./.
