Striker Rafaelson Fernandes completed the legal procedures to apply for Vietnamese citizenship in August 2024. The Brazilian striker has lived and worked in the S-shaped country for 5 consecutive years, has a stable income and understands Vietnamese culture and people.
Rafaelson expressed his desire to continue to be associated with Nam Dinh football and is ready to contribute to the national team.
However, according to many sources, Rafaelson Fernandes has not yet been granted Vietnamese citizenship. Therefore, the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) determined that the striker born in 1997 is not eligible to compete in the V.League 2024-2025.
The reason comes from Nam Dinh club registering Rafaelson Fernandes as a Vietnamese player of foreign origin (naturalized). However, currently, the best striker of V.League 2023-2024 has not yet secured legal factors so he cannot play.
According to the plan, Rafaelson will take the name Nguyen Xuan Son after officially becoming a citizen. At the age of 27, the football star from Brazil still has a lot of time to play and contribute to Vietnamese football.
In V.League 2024-2025, Rafaelson, along with foreign players such as Lucas Araujo, Hendrio, Mpande, Jose Mota, Caio Cesar, are important pillars in coach Vu Hong Viet's squad, expected to explode to help Nam Dinh FC successfully defend the championship.
Nam Dinh Club will have a trip to visit Hong Linh Ha Tinh in round 1 of V.League 2024-2025, taking place at 6:00 p.m. today (September 14).
