Striker Nguyễn Tiến Linh competing in V.League 1 last year. He aims to become the top scorer of the V.League 1 this year. Photo danviet.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Tiến Linh, the star striker for the national team, has set his sights on dominating the V.League 1 this year and ending the season as top scorer.

"My personal goal is always the same in the national premiere league. I always want to score a lot of goals. Hopefully, this year I can become the top scorer," Linh said on Monday.

His nearest competition will be a little bit closer to home this season than last. Linh will be competing alongside last season's V.League 1 top scorer Rimario Allando Gordon, who joined Bình Dương from Hải Phòng where he scored 17 goals last season.

In addition to Gordon, Bình Dương also have Việt Cường, Sỹ Giáp and rookie Neto Nogueira.

"Bình Dương having V.League 1 2022's top scorer Gordon is good news for the team. For Linh, it is an honour to compete with Gordon. We will unite and fight for the club's achievements. Competition to be the leading striker will be fierce," Linh said.

Meanwhile, Bình Dương's target is to compete for accolades this year.

"In the 2023 season, Bình Dương’s players have changed a lot, but we will definitely keep the spirit of solidarity and confidence,” Linh said.

“I think the goal set by the club's leaders is not too difficult. We are ready to fight and hope to achieve our goal this season." Linh added.

Linh has been nominated for the Golden Ball award 2022, along with other four players: Đỗ Hùng Dũng of Hà Nội FC, Nguyễn Hoàng Đức of Viettel FC, Đặng Văn Lâm of Topenland Bình Định, and Nguyễn Văn Quyết of Hà Nội FC.

"Being in the top five of the Vietnamese Golden Ball 2022 is an honour for me. Last year, I finished third in this award. In my opinion, every Vietnamese player wants to take this title. All players in the top five have had a successful year in their club and national team. Everyone has his advantages, and this year, if anyone is named, I congratulate him. In the short term, I hope to be invited to the awards gala night before being named," Linh said.

In the 2022 season, Linh scored nine goals and was the second-best domestic striker in the league after striker Tuấn Hải (10 goals). VNS