It is no coincidence that Vietnamese football will welcome many naturalized players in the coming months. In the near future, Hendrio Araujo and Gustavo Santos are the two people who will soon have Vietnamese nationality.
The Brazilian midfielder's naturalization process took place many months ago. Meanwhile, his compatriot Gustavo's central defender was also directly confirmed by coach Kim Sang-sik. At the same time, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also proposed that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Security support Gustavo's naturalization process.
According to Lao Dong's research, there are still Gordon Rimario, Janclesio, Geovane Magno and Patrik Le Giang being promoted to naturalization in this period.
The case of Patrik Le Giang is more special. He has Vietnamese blood but has many problems in the naturalization process. It was not until this year that everything became easier for the goalkeeper of the Ho Chi Minh City Police team.
In terms of expertise, coach Kim Sang-sik still has his own concerns even though he personally confirmed the expertise of this group of players.
First, Nguyen Xuan Son's success opened the door to naturalization for his colleagues, but also caused great pressure for those who came later. Fans of course want naturalized players to play well for the national team.
In fact, the players who are about to be naturalized are all over 30 years old and show signs of decline in their skills. Janclesio (1993) and Gordon Rimario (1994) are like that. Since last season, Janclesio has been in a downward trend in Binh Duong.
Lucas Ribamar's injury created an opportunity for Gordon Rimario to play for Dong A Thanh Hoa. However, this star's unconvincing performance caused him to lose his position to striker Vo Nguyen Hoang. The U23 Vietnam player now has the trust of coach Choi Won-kwon.
However, coach Kim Sang-sik does not have any better options. Geovane Magno or Gustavo Santos will certainly bring quality additions to the Vietnam national team. When Que Ngoc Hai did not appear, the performance of a series of domestic midfielders declined, and it was not surprising that Gustavo had a starting position thanks to his superior physique and fitness.
Meanwhile, an attacking midfielder who can play as a striker like Geovane Magno is now making a splash. Mr. Kim needs the type of player who knows how to handle situations with both technique and strength like Geovane. Until Xuan Son regained his form, the Korean coach still needed more players.
However, for now, the Vietnamese team still has to solve the problems in the matches against Nepal. In 2026, the match against Malaysia's naturalized stars will be a high-dose test for naturalized players from Vietnam.
