'Bucheon's all-time leading scorer' Vasani still at 0 goals? Even so, the coach heaps praise... He himself says, "Team victory comes first"

*This content was translated by AI.

He is Bucheon FC's key problem-solver in the K-League 1, yet he has not scored a single goal. However, the coach is showering him with praise. In fact, Vasani himself prioritizes team victory over his own goalscoring.

Vasani, Bucheon's foreign striker, holds the club record for most attacking points in its history. Since leaving Suwon Samsung and donning the Bucheon jersey in 2024, he has recorded 27 goals and 19 assists in 90 matches over three seasons.

He made a strong impression from his first season. In the 2024 K-League 2 campaign, he netted 11 goals and provided 7 assists in 35 matches, and in the 2025 season, he scored 14 goals and added 6 assists, leading Bucheon to its first-ever promotion to K-League 1.

For Vasani, this season has been somewhat unfamiliar. He has appeared in 17 K-League 1 matches and recorded 5 assists but has yet to register his first goal of the campaign. Despite the unusual lack of goalscoring, he remains at zero goals.

He is a striker and the team's ace. If he were a player who scored numerous goals over the past two seasons, one might expect impatience. However, Vasani has not placed excessive importance on personal scoring.

After Bucheon's home match against FC Anyang on August 29, Vasani told StarNews, "Actually, rather than feeling immense pressure about scoring, my priority is to help the team reach its goals set for this year."

He continued, "I haven't scored yet, but I am providing assists. By increasing attacking points in that way, I am helping the team." He emphasized, "The team comes first, so there isn't much pressure. Achieving our set goals is the priority."

Coach Lee Young-min of Bucheon shares a similar view. Even though Vasani has not scored this season, the coach highly values his influence in the attacking process.

In fact, in the previous match against Anyang, Vasani assisted veteran midfielder Kim Jong-woo's goal. His selfless play stood out as he shook up the opposing defense with his individual ability and calmly connected passes to teammates.

The coach praised him, saying, "He hasn't scored yet, but because of Vasani, we are always creating good situations." He added, "He is a player who can serve as a goal-scoring route or the starting point for goals."

Vasani also expressed gratitude for the coach's trust. He said, "I am very grateful that Coach Lee Young-min spoke those words," and added, "I believe it is an important part of achieving the goals set by the team."

He further stated firmly, "Whether in attack or defense, if I stay true to my role, help the team win, and contribute to the team scoring, good results will naturally follow. That is what I believe is my role."

Currently, Bucheon has recorded 7 wins, 10 draws, and 9 losses (31 points), placing them 10th in the league. While they are in the lower half of the table, the competition is fiercer than ever. The gap with third-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (39 points) is only eight points.

Vasani explained, "We are always approaching things as challengers, looking for ways to perform even better." He added, "It seems those aspects are going well. The experience of winning in previous matches seems to have instilled a lot of confidence in the players."

He continued, "Based on that confidence, if we continue to identify our problems until the end of the season and find ways to improve even further, I believe we can show an even better performance."

He has also set aside personal ambitions. Although it would be natural for the holder of the club's all-time attacking points record to desperately want his first goal of the season, Vasani's focus is solely on Bucheon's victory.

When asked to choose between personal goals and team victory, he did not hesitate long. Vasani repeatedly emphasized, "I unconditionally want to choose for the team to win."

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*This content was translated by AI.