Why did Hoang Duc play in the first division?

Hoang Duc's departure from The Cong was confirmed in mid-July - when he had six months left on his contract to expire on January 11, 2025, meaning he was free to negotiate with another team.

This decision was made after the two sides could not find common ground on terms, plus a number of offers from outside for the Vietnamese midfielder.

The Hoang Duc generation grew up from the Viettel Youth Football Training Center, with contract periods based on the player's date of birth. Hoang Duc was born on January 11, 1998, and has a youth training contract that lasts until the age of 21.

After that, the player must commit to two three-year contracts, from 21 to 24 years old and 24 to 27 years old. The salary can increase but there is no signing-on fee. The negotiation for the first signing-on fee contract is therefore important for Hoang Duc.

When deciding to leave, the club's leadership and main sponsor still talked to the player to convince him to stay. But the 26-year-old midfielder signed a three-year contract with boss Nguyen Duc Thuy - the head of a business that sponsors many clubs in the V-League and the first division.

According to some sources, Hoang Duc can receive from 8 to 10 billion VND in bonuses each season.

The Cong accepted to let Hoang Duc leave early before the 2024-2025 season, but the price to buy back half a year of the contract was too high, so no team accepted.

How to use players has become a problem for The Cong. Coach Nguyen Duc Thang also continuously receives questions from the media every time he substitutes Hoang Duc in or out in the first four rounds of this season.

In fact, despite not being injured, Hoang Duc only played 190 out of 360 minutes, with two starts. His last appearance was the last 10 minutes of the 3-2 win over Hai Phong at Lach Tray Stadium on October 4.

On October 5, Ninh Binh – the hometown club that Mr. Thuy invested heavily in this season – played a friendly match with PVF-CAND. It was in this match that captain midfielder Do Van Thuan tore his knee ligament and had to sit out the rest of the season, forcing the ancient capital team to rush to find a replacement.

Hoang Duc then met directly with The Cong leaders to propose his wish to leave early, because the first division closed player registration for the first leg on October 11. He was given the green light, and agreed to pay a sum of money as youth training costs for the remaining three months of his contract.

On October 7, information about Hoang Duc leaving The Cong early to go to Ninh Binh was released. A day later, the capital team confirmed the farewell.

Hoang Duc's arrival in Ninh Binh was surprising, as his initial destination was said to be the Hanoi Police. At the age of 26, he is also in the prime of his career.

Over the past four years, the midfielder from Hai Duong often talked about his ambition to go abroad, along with a series of information that many foreign teams were interested in.

In Ninh Binh's current squad, there are 20 players who have played in the V-League for many years. Most of them have played or are playing for the Vietnamese national teams. That shows that Ninh Binh's ambition to be promoted is very high, and that is the reason that convinced Hoang Duc.

According to some experts, if Ninh Binh is promoted this season, the choice to play in the first division is considered enough to trade for Hoang Duc. If not, he may also play for a V-League club sponsored by Mr. Thuy in the future.