Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese striker Le Cong Vinh has been named one of the sevenbest strikers in the history of the AFF Suzuki Cup, according to thetournament’s official website.
Thewebsite said that hat-tricks against Cambodia and Laos in 2004 and 2007 hadlaunched Vinh onto the regional stage, but it was in 2008 that he truly won thehearts of the Vietnamese public.
Vietnamadvanced to what was their second final and, having not scored prior, Vinhgrabbed the winner in a 2-1 victory over Thailand in Bangkok to set up atantalising match in Hanoi.
WithThailand a goal up and the game on a knife edge, Vinh secured Vietnam’s firstever title with a 94th-minute equaliser to secure a 3-2 win on aggregate.
Vinh isthe first Vietnamese player to have played in Japan and Portugal. He has takenpart in seven AFF Cup events and scored 15 goals.
AFFSuzuki Cup 2016 was the last event Vinh played in, where he helped Vietnamreach the semi-finals and then announced his retirement from the competition.
Thewebsite also named Noh Alam Shah of Singapore, Teerasil Dangda of Thailand,Safee Sali of Malaysia, Phil Younghusband of the Philippines, Aung Thu of Myanmar and Bambang Pamungkas of Indonesia.
Shah isthe top scorer in the history of the tournament with 17 goals. -VNA