Today (September 20), Nam Dinh Club announced that striker Rafaelson has been recognized as a Vietnamese citizen. His name is Nguyen Xuan Son, and he will play for Nam Dinh Blue Steel as a naturalized player.
Nguyen Xuan Son was born in 1997 in Brazil. He came to Vietnam to play for Nam Dinh in early 2020. This striker then went to Da Nang, Binh Dinh and then returned to play for Nam Dinh Blue Steel in 2023.
In the 2023-2024 season, Rafaelson exploded, making history as the player who scored the most goals in a V.League season with 31 goals. He and Nam Dinh Blue Steel won the V.League championship, won the Golden Boot title and was included in the typical squad of the season.
“I am very happy today. My dream of becoming a Vietnamese citizen has come true. I love this country and will do my best on the football field,” Nguyen Xuan Son shared.
In the next round, Nam Dinh Blue Steel will host Quang Nam on September 23 in the second round of V.League 2024-2025.
With Nguyen Xuan Son playing as a naturalized player, Nam Dinh Blue Steel will have an advantage in terms of numbers when registering 3 other foreign players.