After playing a half a game with Vietnam's Hai Phong Cement FC,
former Brazil international Denilson has shocked fans by quitting
the team because of injuries, the Vietnam Football Federation
said.
Denilson, once the world's most expensive soccer player, scored
a goal from a free kick in the first minutes of his only V-League
appearance on Sunday to help Hai Phong Cement defeat former
champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 3-1 and snap a losing streak.
He sat out the second half when the coach recognised that a
right leg injury was holding him back, the Vietnam News
reported.
The VFF said he had quit the team on Tuesday and was planning to
leave the country.
"One more time, fans were as shocked as his surprise appearance
a few days ago," the VFF report said.
Denilson had missed two earlier games, angering expectant fans,
before making his debut on Sunday.
The Brazilian came to the northern Vietnamese port city earlier
this month after months of cajoling and coaxing. The transfer
delighted the mid-table V-League team's fans, who welcomed the
31-year-old to practice in the port city with a motorcade of
scooters, flags and flares.
But his swift exit was sure to rankle Hai Phong supporters, who
are known for their rowdy behaviour.
Last Friday, the federation banned their fans attending away
games if they wear clothes bearing the team's symbols or name.
That decision came days after Hai Phong supporters clashed with
paramilitary police in Hanoi when the team lost a match. Police
used dogs and electric batons to disperse the crowd, while some
fans fought back by hurling objects at the police lines.
Denilson was the subject of a world transfer record in 1998 when
Real Betis paid more than $35m to sign him.
The VFF report said the Brazilian's contract only stipulated
payment for matches he played.
He was paid $12,000 for the match and a $5,000 bonus for the
goal, it was reported.
