V-League and the Winds of Change

27/08/2025 15:07:00 GoalGuru

After only two rounds, V-League has already generated the necessary excitement and undeniable impact, mainly from foreign players. Among the 32 goal scorers, 17 are foreign players, excluding overseas Vietnamese or naturalized players. Meanwhile, their goals account for 70% of the total.

Is the dominance of foreign players something to worry about? The answer is yes. However, realistically, this concern is on a macro level, as it might harm the development of local players, but looking specifically at V-League, the positive impact brought by foreign players is undeniable.

Moreover, a fair perspective is needed because the number of non-local players allowed on the field is capped at 50%, yet their contribution to a club’s success can reach 70-80%. There is no basis to claim that reducing the number of foreign players on the field will increase goals or the role of domestic players.

There will be many debates on this topic, but the truth is that the "opening" to players of foreign origin is causing significant changes in V-League. Take the case of the newcomer Ninh Binh as an example. This club has a considerable number of national team players, including star Nguyễn Hoàng Đức.

They started with two wins and showed two different styles. While the 3-1 victory over Hà Tĩnh was thanks to local players, the 4-0 display against Thanh Hóa saw all four goals scored by foreign players. This shows that the openness to foreign players helps inexperienced clubs like Ninh Binh quickly adapt to the tough environment of V-League.

Foreign and overseas Vietnamese players are bringing strong vitality to V-League. Photo: Hoàng Linh

The match between Ninh Binh and host Đà Nẵng in round 3 probably helps the public interested in V-League to better understand. It is easy to say that Ninh Binh "bought strength with money," but looking at Đà Nẵng shows that this choice is almost the only option for Ninh Binh.

Is there any place with more tradition than Đà Nẵng, which is also famous for youth training? Yet, facing financial difficulties, Đà Nẵng had to register three foreign players for the first matches of this season. Without doing so, the threat of relegation would have haunted the Han River club from the very beginning.

Foreign players bring a unique life to V-League and somewhat support the national team. Increasingly, overseas Vietnamese players are returning to play in Vietnam with better quality.

Besides the homeland factor, the presence of many good foreign players in V-League acts as a catalyst. This indicates that Vietnamese clubs have strong financial capabilities and the league is competitive. These two factors make it easier for overseas Vietnamese players to decide to "return" compared to other options. The overseas Vietnamese talent pool remains a vital resource that Vietnamese football needs in the global naturalization race.

Finally, it is time for V-League to take responsibility to "rise to the next level" as international competitions expand. In this big game, V-League must adapt, and recruiting foreign players will become an important investment factor, no less than youth player development.

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