Hanoi FC to field naturalized player after 7 years

Hanoi FC will register Brazilian-born midfielder Hendrio as a naturalized player for the 2025-2026 season.

At the team's season launch on 13/8, club chairman Do Vinh Quang stated that the naturalization process is progressing well. "We hope to complete it in August, in time for registration before round 3 of V-League," he said.

Hanoi FC will play Cong An Hanoi in round 3 on 28/8 at Hang Day stadium. This is also the deadline for Hendrio to be eligible to play in the new season as a Vietnamese player of foreign origin.

Midfielder Hendrio training with Hanoi FC on 5/8/2025. Photo: Hanoi FC

Midfielder Hendrio training with Hanoi FC on 5/8/2025. Photo: Hanoi FC

V-League teams' player rosters consist of domestic players, foreign players, Vietnamese players of foreign origin, and overseas Vietnamese players without Vietnamese citizenship. Each player can only be registered under one status throughout the season. Therefore, Hanoi FC is taking a calculated risk by registering Hendrio, thus preserving a foreign player slot. This is similar to Nam Dinh's situation with Nguyen Xuan Son last season.

If all goes well, Hendrio will be the first naturalized player to play for Hanoi FC in 7 years. The last such player was Nigerian-born forward Hoang Vu Samson in 2018. Samson currently plays for V-League newcomers PVF-CAND.

Hendrio trained at Barcelona's La Masia youth academy. He arrived in Vietnam in late 2020, signed with Binh Dinh on 12/1/2021, and became one of the league's best attacking players. The midfielder joined Nam Dinh in January 2023. In three seasons at Thien Truong stadium, he played 63 matches, scoring 19 goals and providing 21 assists, contributing to Nam Dinh's V-League title in 2023-2024.

Hanoi FC pursued Hendrio when he was about to leave Binh Dinh, but were unsuccessful. When they learned he was no longer in Nam Dinh's plans at the end of the 2024-2025 season, the capital team expressed interest in acquiring his services for the remainder of the season, but were again rebuffed. Two months later, Hendrio agreed to join Hanoi FC on a contract that runs until the end of the 2027-2028 season, when he will be 34.

Despite having Vietnamese citizenship to play in the V-League, Hendrio will have to wait until December 2025 for a chance to join the Vietnam national team if called up. This is when the midfielder, born in 1994, will have fulfilled FIFA's requirement of 5 years of continuous residence in Vietnam, similar to Nguyen Xuan Son.

Hanoi FC unveils three jersey designs for the 2025-2026 season, representing the past (left), present (right), and future (center), at the season launch ceremony in Hanoi on 13/8/2025. Photo: Hanoi FC

Hanoi FC will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026. Therefore, the team aims to win both the V-League and the National Cup.

The current squad still features many quality veterans: defenders Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Thanh Chung, and Pham Xuan Manh; midfielders Do Hung Dung and Nguyen Hai Long; and forwards Nguyen Van Quyet and Pham Tuan Hai. Coach Makoto Teguramori has also added two Brazilian foreign players, center-back Adriel da Silva and midfielder Willian Maranhao, and is searching for another.

In addition, the capital team also opened an official merchandise store at Hang Day stadium's stand A yesterday, 13/8. This project has been in the works for a long time and represents another step towards a professional development model.

Hanoi FC is the most successful team in V-League history with six championships (2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022), three National Cups (2019, 2020, 2022), and five National Super Cups (2010, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).

Hanoi FC will play their opening match of the 2025-2026 V-League season against Cong An TP HCM (formerly TP HCM Club) at Thong Nhat stadium on 16/8.