In August 2024, the Department of Justice of Nam Dinh province received the application for Vietnamese citizenship from Bezerra Fernandes. After reviewing and checking the application, the Department of Justice of Nam Dinh province coordinated with the Nam Dinh Provincial Police and the Brazilian Embassy in Hanoi to verify the identity of Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes. On September 20th, the striker, currently playing for Nam Dinh FC, was officially recognized as a Vietnamese citizen. Rafaelson will also be registered by the Nam Dinh team for the new season as a naturalized player, under the name Nguyen Xuan Son.
In Indonesia , the news that Nguyen Xuan Son officially became a Vietnamese citizen unexpectedly received a lot of attention. On websites such as CNN Indonesia , Bola Times , and Suara , articles about Nguyen Xuan Son were among the top 3 most-read sports articles in Indonesia within 24 hours.
Indonesian media paid particular attention when Nguyen Xuan Son officially became a Vietnamese citizen.
CNN Indonesia reported: “Vietnam has officially naturalized Brazilian player Rafaelson. The player in question has also changed his name to Nguyen Xuan Son. After 5 years playing in the Brazilian league, Nguyen Xuan Son moved to Japan to play for Vegalta Sendai in 2018. He then moved to the Danish league to play for Naestved. Nguyen Xuan Son's journey in Vietnam began in 2020.”
His incredible goal-scoring record and the fact that he is at the peak of his career are likely compelling reasons for Vietnam to naturalize this 27-year-old player. The presence of Nguyen Xuan Son is also predicted to significantly boost the attacking power of the Vietnamese national team if he is called up to the national squad.”
Meanwhile, Bola Times dedicated three articles to analyzing the potential impact Nguyen Xuan Son could have on Vietnamese football. Bola Times reporters stated: “The naturalization program in Southeast Asia is not unique to the Indonesian national team; the Vietnamese national team has also taken similar action. This is positive and could strengthen the team, but it remains unclear whether Nguyen Xuan Son will be called up to the Vietnamese national team for upcoming tournaments. His inclusion has been long awaited by Vietnamese fans, especially coach Kim Sang-sik.”
Nguyen Xuan Son is already very familiar with Vietnamese football, having been involved in the V-League for the past five years. The 1.85m tall player is in peak form, scoring 71 goals in the Vietnamese domestic league. Hopefully, his brilliant form will continue, strengthening the Vietnamese national team's attack.”
Rafaelson will participate in the V-League 2024-2025 as a naturalized player.
In Thailand, Nguyen Xuan Son's Vietnamese citizenship has also attracted attention. The Thai newspaper Thai Rath commented: "Rafaelson – the V-League's top scorer, who broke numerous records last season – has officially obtained Vietnamese citizenship. He is a player with great potential, has proven his abilities over the years, and will certainly upgrade the Vietnamese national team's attack if called up. The AFF Cup at the end of the year is also predicted to be more exciting as the Vietnamese team becomes even stronger."
Thai media believe that the presence of Nguyen Xuan Son will make coach Kim Sang-sik's team even more formidable.
"For over a year, this player has consistently expressed his desire to play for the national team, and now that dream is about to become a reality. Besides solving the goal-scoring problem for Coach Kim Sang-sik's team, Rafaelson also promises to motivate familiar Southeast Asian strikers like Tien Linh and Tuan Hai to perform even more explosively," concluded Thai Rath .
On Facebook, the ASEAN Football page, with over 500,000 followers, also mentioned that Nguyen Xuan Son holds Vietnamese citizenship. Within just three hours of being posted, this information received tens of thousands of interactions, becoming the page's hottest post of the day.
The ASEAN Football website also mentioned that Nguyen Xuan Son holds Vietnamese citizenship.
The ASEAN Football website wrote: “Striker Rafaelson has officially completed his naturalization process and will be eligible to play under the Vietnamese name Nguyen Xuan Son, starting from Round 2 of the 2024-2025 V-League season. With his proven class, he is ready to bring even more strength to the Vietnamese national team.”
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-chi-khu-vuc-phat-sot-khi-rafaelson-nguyen-xuan-son-nhap-tich-viet-nam-thanh-cong-185240921163023333.htm
