On the evening of March 29, the documentary "I am Nguyen Xuan Son" was broadcast on VTV1, recreating the journey of competition, injuries and the return process of the striker born in 1997.
From surgery to return
The film opens with typical goals of Xuan Son in many different situations, especially the handling in the penalty area. At the club level, Xuan Son once scored 31 goals in the Nam Dinh championship season, a notable milestone of the tournament.
From that foundation, the film moves to the international competition phase, focusing on the ASEAN Cup 2024. Here, Xuan Son's role is not only limited to scoring but also lies in the ability to impact the opponent's defense structure.
According to coach Kim Sang-sik, the appearance of this striker forced the opponent's defense to focus on marking, thereby opening up space for other players. The situation leading to Tuan Hai's goal against Thailand was used to illustrate this operating method.
The middle part of the film is a turning point when Xuan Son suffered a serious injury in the ASEAN Cup final. Behind-the-scenes images first released show the arduous treatment and recovery process of the striker born in 1997.
Immediately after the surgery, Xuan Son shared: "Next season I will return with 200% fitness". He also joked: "Probably next week I will go to the field right away. If coach Vu Hong Viet needs me, I am ready to play. At times like this, the cheers of fans are motivation for me.
In parallel with that, the film records the period Xuan Son became a Vietnamese citizen and played in the national team jersey. He recalled: "Tet 2025 is very special, it is my first Tet as a citizen and I brought joy to the fans, but I was injured.
After a period of recovery lasting about 10 months, this striker returned to play and continued to maintain scoring efficiency.
In addition to expertise, the film mentions Xuan Son being awarded the Third-class Labor Medal. Details such as learning Vietnamese, living with teammates or attending high-level events are included to clarify the process of attachment to Vietnamese football.
Even in my sleep, I see Xuan Son
Besides the personal journey, the film also records comments from teammates and opponents about Xuan Son's influence.
Midfielder Hoang Duc believes that Xuan Son has the ability to read situations well, knows when to coordinate and when to finish, thereby maintaining efficiency in attacks.
With center-back Thanh Long - a player who used to wear the Dong A Thanh Hoa shirt - recalling the match Xuan Son scored 5 goals against this team in the 2023-2024 season.
Xuan Son's qualities are too good. Xuan Son scored 5 goals for Nam Dinh in the match against Thanh Hoa very impressively. He made Thanh Hoa players sleep and dream of him," Thanh Long recounted.
Meanwhile, coach Vu Hong Viet assessed the absence of Xuan Son as a major loss in force.
The ending of the film does not use any climax or commentary, but stops at an open image. Xuan Son appears on the field in a normal playing state, participating in situations as a familiar part of the squad.
There is no affirmation or statement, but the way he moves, participates in coordination and continues to score goals becomes a direct answer to previous doubts.
