In his career, he scored 15 goals from free-kicks or penalties in official matches counted by the AFF.

He is followed by Angelo Konstantinou (seven goals) and Les Pogliacomi (six) of Australia, Cheng Xiaopeng (four) of China, Kim Byung-ji (three) of South Korea and Mohamed Al-Deayea (three) of Saudi Arabia.

AFF lists Vietnamese Phan Van Santos as No 1 in top 6 Asian goalkeepers with most goals.

Santos, born as Fabio dos Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1977, is a retired naturalised player.

He came to play in Vietnam in 2001 and retired in 2014. He became Vietnamese in 2007. A year later he became the first naturalised player to be called to the national team.

He was the only goalie to score in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League when he netted a goal for Dong Tam Long An FC against Shanghai Shenhua in 2006.

With two V.League trophies in 2005 and 2006, Santos is the foreign keeper with most titles in Vietnam’s football history.

The 1.98m-tall stopper played five matches for the national team in 2008 under coach Henrique Calisto.

Santos still lives in Vietnam and works as a trainer at a community football centre in HCM City.

VFF adjusts schedule of football tournaments

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said on March 10 that it has decided to make adjustments to the schedule of professional and non-professional football tournaments in 2020 due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Women’s football: Vietnam lose to Australia in Olympic play-off

Despite putting in a great effort, the Vietnam national women’s team lost to Australia 5-0 in the first leg of the Asian qualification play-off for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 held at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on March 6.

Football head coach Park Hang-seo to undergo medical supervision

Head coach of the national men’s football team Park Hang-seo and his accompanying spouse will undergo close medical supervision by the Hanoi health sector next days.

Women’s football: Vietnam to battle Australia for Olympics berth

Vietnam’s women’s football team will play powerhouse Australia in a two-leg playoff next month, with a berth in the Tokyo Olympic Games in the summer on the line.

Vietnamese, Japanese clubs to establish football academy in Vietnam

Sai Gon FC and Tokyo FC have announced a long-term cooperation project to develop football in Vietnam, including the establishment of an academy.

Source: VNS