Hà Nội FC and the uncertainty at 20 years old

26/08/2025 14:05:00 ScoreStream

Hà Nội FC started the 2025/26 V-League season with high hopes during their 20th anniversary year, but after only two matches, the capital team has already revealed many challenges.

While winning and losing is part of football, Hà Nội FC’s 1-2 loss to Công an TP.HCM in their opening game, followed by a 0-0 home draw against HAGL, signals that coach Makoto Teguramori’s squad has yet to fix persistent weaknesses that have existed across several coaching tenures.

This reflects the disappointing quality of Hà Nội FC’s foreign players, as the Brazilian core—center back Da Silva Adriel, midfielder Willian Marlon, forward Luiz Fernando—and the sole foreigner retained from last season, Daniel Silva, have all failed to show the superior level expected of them.

While the first three foreign players might justify their underwhelming form by needing time to adapt to Vietnam, Daniel Silva’s case is less arguable, as the striker remains as uninspiring and inconsistent as he was in the latter half of last season.

Under normal circumstances, most foreign players in the V-League serve as the backbone of their teams, and even the current leaders, Ninh Bình, rely on their foreign players’ strength to secure victories. However, things seem quite different at Hà Nội FC.

Văn Quyết’s Hà Nội FC will find it very difficult to compete for the title if their foreign players continue to deliver only average performances. Photo: Hoàng Linh

For several recent seasons, Hà Nội FC’s domestic players have had to shoulder responsibilities typically expected from foreigners, and the moment Văn Tùng was brought on in the second half to replace Luiz Fernando during the draw with HAGL is a familiar sight for those who regularly follow the capital club.

Theoretically, Hà Nội FC remains one of the top V-League teams in terms of domestic player quality, with half their squad composed of national team members like Duy Mạnh, Thành Chung, Hai Long, Tuấn Hải, Xuân Mạnh; U23 players such as Văn Trường and Văn Hà; and numerous former internationals including Văn Quyết, Hùng Dũng, Văn Tùng, and Văn Chuẩn.

With such a squad, adding three or four quality foreign players would make competing for the V-League championship completely achievable, especially since clubs currently above Hà Nội FC in the 2025/26 standings like Ninh Bình, CAHN, or Thể Công Viettel do not have as many national or former national players.

Unfortunately, Hà Nội FC’s foreign player quality has been poor over recent seasons. Last year, the club had to almost entirely replace their foreigners mid-season, and this year the old story seems unchanged: Daniel Silva continues to disappoint upfront, while newcomers Luiz Fernando, Willian Marlon, and Da Silva Adriel have yet to make a strong impression.

Additionally, Hà Nội FC has failed to properly utilize the few excellent foreign players they have recruited in recent years, exemplified by Lucao, a forward who once played for Hà Nội FC but was discarded for not fitting the head coach’s style, only to shine brightly later with Hải Phòng and now with Thể Công Viettel.

Seeing Lucao score two consecutive goals for Thể Công Viettel in the first two rounds of the 2025/26 V-League, Hà Nội FC must wonder about their own attacking options like Daniel Silva and Luiz Fernando. If this pair keeps disappointing as they did in the recent 0-0 draw with HAGL, Hà Nội FC’s historic season may not bring much happiness.

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