Impressive debut and injury incident
Xuan Son debuted for the Vietnamese national team at the ASEAN Cup 2024. He immediately made his mark when he became the top scorer of the tournament with 7 goals and won the Best Player of the Tournament (MVP) when the Vietnamese national team won the championship for the 3rd time.
However, it was a campaign full of mixed emotions when a serious broken leg injury in the second leg of the final against Thailand made Xuan Son face a major challenge in his career.
“That period was very difficult. When I broke my leg, I thought my career was over. There were many mixed emotions. At that tournament, I became the champion, top scorer and best player.
Now it's different. It's a new year and the team has also changed. I just want to dedicate myself to the team, and I think all players have the same feeling. We are fighting for this cup for Vietnamese fans. They are very much looking forward to this cup," Xuan Son shared on the ASEAN Cup homepage.
After 10 months of recovery from a broken tibia and tibia in his leg, along with the support of his family, Nam Dinh club and Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Xuan Son has returned strongly to the ASEAN Club Championship season 2025-2026 in December 2025.
He finished the tournament as top scorer with 7 goals and led Nam Dinh to the semi-finals, marking an incredible return after one of the most difficult injuries in football.
I just thought about returning to football and playing again. I feel very lucky. Everyone has also supported me a lot. That is very important after being seriously injured. I think everyone's love is the most important thing in that period. When you feel that love, you will have the strength to overcome all challenges to be completed," the Vietnamese national team striker shared.
Nguyen Xuan Son grew up in the small town of Pirapemas (Brazil), he left home at the age of 14 to go to Salvador to join the youth football academy. After a few years of playing in Brazil, Denmark, Japan, he came to Vietnam to play at the end of 2019.
That was a turning point that changed his career. Xuan Son started his career in Vietnam with a short time wearing the Nam Dinh jersey before joining Da Nang FC and Binh Dinh FC, where he became the top scorer of the tournament in 2023. After that, he returned to Nam Dinh, with the team winning the V.League 2023-2024 championship and winning the top scorer title.
In September 2024, after 5 years of residence, he was granted Vietnamese citizenship and took the name Nguyen Xuan Son, still maintaining a connection with Brazilian identity through his original name Rafaelson.
When I came to Vietnam, I tried to understand the culture, adapt to the country and Vietnamese football. I loved Vietnam and my family too. Both of my children were born in Vietnam and this country is very special to me. I want to stay here for life. It's wonderful to receive the love of the people," Xuan Son shared his feelings.
Nguyen Xuan Son's dream
The influence of this naturalized striker on the Vietnamese team has been recognized by his appointment as one of the vice-captains at ASEAN 2026, an honor he proudly welcomed when the "Golden Star Warriors" are preparing to face the leading team of Group A, Singapore in Hanoi on the evening of July 31.
“That motivates me to dedicate myself and show my abilities to my teammates and coaching staff. We are ready to play and ready to win because we have quality players. We will dedicate 100% to become champions once again. That is a challenge for the Vietnamese team,” the top scorer of ASEAN Cup 2024 shared.
Finally, Xuan Son's biggest ambition besides defending the ASEAN Cup title is to help the Vietnamese team win a ticket to the World Cup for the first time.
He said: "My dream is to go to the World Cup. I have thought about it many times because, if I can do it for this country, it will be one of the most special moments in the history of Vietnamese football.
That is also my family's dream. I am trying my best, and I hope we can go to the World Cup in the future because it will be very special for everyone and for each player”.
