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| Striker Do Merlo. — Photo zing.vn |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI — Striker Do Merlo has bid farewell to the V.League 1’s SHB Da Nang due to a recurring heart problem.
In their 2-1 win against Can Tho on Sunday, Argentinean Merlo, who was granted Vietnamese citizenship last year, played only 10 minutes due to his illness.
“We will struggle a bit because Merlo has decided to call it a day just before the end of the season. Over the past two years he’s struggled with injuries," said chairman of Da Nang, Bui Xuan Hoa.
“Without Merlo, we will try to compete and our players will have to adapt to a new way of playing,” Hoa added.
Merlo, 33, has played for Da Nang for 10 years. He helped Da Nang triumph in V.League 1 in 2009 and 2012, the National Cup in 2009 and the National Super Cup in 2012.
He is one of the top goalscorers in the national premier league. He won the league’s top scorer award four times from 2009-11 and in 2016. He also won the league’s best foreign player award in 2009 and 2011.
At present, Da Nang are 10th place in the rankings with 26 points. They will next take on Song Lam Nghe An at Vinh Stadium in the central province of Nghe An today. — VNS
OVietnam