HANOI (20 Oct 2011) – Shortly after signing Choi Yoon Gyum as their new chief coach, Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) have signed Nigerian national team goalkeeper Bassey Akpan on a two-year contract.
The 27-year-old Bassey Akpan stands at 1.86m and had previously played for Heartland FC in Nigeria before coming to Vietnam.
In 2001, he was a member of the Nigerian Under-17 squad which finished runners-up at the FIFA World U17 Championship.
His first game for Nigeria was back in March 2010 which won the West African Football Union (WAFU) Cup the same year.
In 2009, he played for the Nigerian club Bayelsa United that won the Nigeria Premier League championship while a year later, he signed for Nigerian club Heartland FC that finished second at the 2010 African Champions League.
Akpan also won Nigeria’s National Football Cup with Heartland after they beat Enyimba 1-0 in the final match on September 25.
In the 2011 season, Akpan played a total 30 matches for Heartland in Nigeria’s Premier League.
HAGL have also signed a two-year contract with Nigerian striker Oyiboaga Moses Orhie who is 24 years old and 1.90 meters tall.
The 2007-08 V-League champions have also signed a one-year contract with Korean coach Choi Yoon Gyum.
In the meantime, V-League champion Song Lam Nghe An are expected to sign striker Cornell Glen for the new season.
The 30-year-old from Trinidad & Tobago wore the national jersey for 59 matches and scored 23 goals. He was called into the national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, pairing with former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke in several matches.
