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Dang Van Lam, goalkeeper of the Vietnamese national football team, has signed for J1 League club Cerezo Osaka, becoming the first Vietnamese player to have the chance to play in Japan’s top tier. |
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Details of the contract have yet to be announced, but according to Sports Hochi, a Japanese daily sports newspaper, Cerezo Osaka FC had to spend a large sum to purchase Lam’s contract from his managing Thai League 1 club Muangthong United (Thai League). The term of the Vietnamese goalie’s deal with Muangthong United was initially until November 2021. However, with the Thai League having been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign players’ contracts in the tournament were extended to May 2022. With the new signing, Dang Van Lam becomes the fourth Vietnamese player to play in Japan, after Le Cong Vinh (2013), Nguyen Tuan Anh (2016) and Nguyen Cong Phuong (2016), who played for J2 League clubs Consadole Sapporo, Yokohama FC and Mito Hollyhock, respectively.
Dang Van Lam poses with Thai fans when playing for Muangthong United FC. Cerezo Osaka ended up in fourth place overall in J1 League 2020, thereby earning a slot in the play-off round for the 2021 AFC Champions League. Lam’s Cerezo Osaka arrival has yet to be confirmed as it remains difficult to arrange his travel from Thailand to Japan as a result of the pandemic. Dang Van Lam is currently a key pillar in Park Hang-seo’s Vietnamese squad. He has made significant contributions to Vietnam’s journey to winning the AFF Cup 2018 crown, qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals, and leading the ongoing 2022 World Cup AFC qualifiers. So far, the 27-year-old player has had a total of 23 caps for the Vietnamese national team. In June 2019, Muangthong United completed the signing of Van Lam from Hai Phong FC for a fee of US$500,000. Source: Nhan Dan Online |
