On the morning of November 22, the Vietnamese team officially had its first training session in preparation for the AFF Cup 2024. During this training session, striker Nguyen Tien Linh was assigned to answer interviews with the press.
Highly appreciate the Indonesian team
The Indonesian team is performing impressively in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. Coach Shin Tae-yong and his team just created a shock when they defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0, thereby surpassing the Vietnamese team to become the Southeast Asian team with the best performance in the third qualifying round with 6 points.
With Indonesia's impressive performances in recent times, striker Nguyen Tien Linh believes that this is the leading candidate for the 2024 AFF Cup championship title.
"Indonesia is one of the strong teams in Southeast Asia. In recent years, they have had quality naturalized players. The proof is that they are competing in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Recently, they had a brave victory against Saudi Arabia. I think in the upcoming tournament, Indonesia is a candidate for the highest position," Tien Linh shared.
However, the striker born in 1997 also affirmed that the Vietnamese team is determined to regain its position as a leading team in Southeast Asia.
He said: "The Vietnamese team is showing its desire to return to its rightful position in Southeast Asia. I think in the upcoming tournament, not only Vietnam, Indonesia but also other strong teams in Southeast Asia will show good performances for the fans as well as demonstrate the spirit of their country. Hopefully the Vietnamese team will achieve its goal and have an impressive performance for the fans."
It would not be surprising if Nguyen Xuan Son was summoned.
After obtaining Vietnamese citizenship, plus his excellent scoring form in the V.League, many opinions say that coach Kim Sang-sik should call up Nguyen Xuan Son (Rafaelson) to the national team to improve the strength of the Vietnamese team's attack. In fact, the Nam Dinh striker has been named in coach Kim Sang-sik's preliminary list. Whether Son will be called up or not will be decided by the Korean coach after Nam Dinh finishes the group stage matches in the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League Two.
When asked about the possibility of Xuan Son being called up to the national team, Tien Linh said that Son being called up is a good sign for Vietnamese football.
"Son is a quality player. He is in good form in the V.League. Calling Son up is a good sign for the Vietnam national team. There is a lot of information that Son can play in the 2024 AFF Cup, I think whether to call him up or not depends on the coach and the coach's tactics. As for me, I think I will show my ability well if given the opportunity. I hope the whole team will perform well in the upcoming tournament.
When called up to the national team, it was not difficult for Son to integrate because he lived in Vietnam for 5 years and played in the V.League for a long time. The evidence is his performance in the past seasons has proven that. I think Son will integrate and all the players, not just me, will support Son in his daily life. If Son is called up to the national team, I will not be too surprised because his performances in the past have proven his good skills," Tien Linh commented.
