Goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm will compete for Cerezo Osaka Club of Japan. Photo nguoiduatin.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Cerezo Osaka of Japan have announced their successful signing of goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm from Muangthong United of Thailand.

"We are very happy to announce that Lâm has joined the club,” the website of Cerezo Osaka said.

According to the website, the Japanese government is restricting immigration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Lâm will come to Japan as soon as possible and he will have a medical examination and sign the contract.

By joining Cerezo Osaka, Lâm will become the first Vietnamese player to play in Japan's top tier, the J1 League.

Cerezo Osaka finished fifth in the 2019 season and fourth in 2020, earning a slot in the play-off round for the 2021 AFC Champions League.

Lâm faces stiff competition for a place in the team against the likes of Kim Jin-hyeon of South Korea.

"It is my great honour to be part of Cerezo Osaka to play in the best tournament in Asia. It is a great step in my career,” said Lâm.

“I believe in the near future, there will be many Vietnamese players to have opportunities to go abroad to play. I want to thank fans who have always watched and supported me over the past time.”

Lâm joined Cerezo Osaka after he unilaterally terminated his contract with Muangthong United over claims the club failed to pay him o time and imposed a 30 per cent pay cut during the Thai League 1 suspension due to the pandemic.

Muangthong United asked the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and the World Football Federation (FIFA) for arbitration and though the legal dispute with the Thai team has not been resolved, Lâm was granted a temporary International Transfer Certificate by FIFA to compete for the Japanese team.

Last year, Lâm made only 12 appearances for Muangthong United in a Thai League 1 season that was shortened due to the pandemic.

Lâm, whose father is Vietnamese and mother is Russian, was born in Moscow. He began his career with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and is a key part of Park Hang-seo’s national team squad.

He made significant contributions to Việt Nam’s triumph in the AFF Cup 2018, qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup quarter-finals, and in the ongoing 2022 World Cup AFC qualifiers. So far, the 27-year-old has had a total of 23 caps for the Vietnamese national team.

In June 2019, Muangthong United completed the signing of Lâm from Hải Phòng FC for a fee of US$500,000. — VNS