Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam will compete for Cerezo Osaka Club of Japan (Photo: VNA) "We arevery happy to announce that Lam has joined the club,” the website of CerezoOsaka said.
According tothe website, the Japanese government is restricting immigration due tothe COVID-19 pandemic, so Lam will come to Japan as soon as possible andhe will have a medical examination and sign the contract.
By joiningCerezo Osaka, Lam will become the first Vietnamese player to play in Japan'stop tier, the J1 League.
Cerezo Osakafinished fifth in the 2019 season and fourth in 2020, earning a slot in theplay-off round for the 2021 AFC Champions League.
Lam facesstiff competition for a place in the team against the likes of KimJin-hyeon of the Republic of Korea.
"It is mygreat honour to be part of Cerezo Osaka to play in the best tournament in Asia.It is a great step in my career,” said Lam.
“I believe inthe near future, there will be many Vietnamese players to have opportunities togo abroad to play. I want to thank fans who have always watched and supportedme over the past time.”
Lam joinedCerezo Osaka after he unilaterally terminated his contract with MuangthongUnited over claims the club failed to pay him o time and imposed a 30 per centpay cut during the Thai League 1 suspension due to the pandemic.
MuangthongUnited asked the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and the WorldFootball Federation (FIFA) for arbitration andthough the legal dispute with the Thai team has not been resolved, Lam wasgranted a temporary International Transfer Certificate by FIFA tocompete for the Japanese team.
Last year, Lammade only 12 appearances for Muangthong United in a Thai League 1 season thatwas shortened due to the pandemic.
Lam, whosefather is Vietnamese and mother is Russian, was born in Moscow. He began hiscareer with Hoang Anh Gia Lai and is a key part of Park Hang-seo’s nationalteam squad.
He madesignificant contributions to Vietnam’s triumph in the AFF Cup 2018, qualifyingfor the 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals, and in the ongoing 2022 World Cup AFCqualifiers. So far, the 27-year-old has had a total of 23 caps for theVietnamese national team.
In June 2019,Muangthong United completed the signing of Lam from Hai Phong FC for a fee of 500,000USD./.
VNA
