Nguyen Xuan Son speaks honestly about life and Vietnamese football

(Dan Tri) - Striker Nguyen Xuan Son confided in ESPN Brazil about many stories related to life and Vietnamese football.

ESPN called the moment Xuan Son was injured in the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final against Thailand “a hero falling” on the field. Although the Vietnamese team won the tournament, Xuan Son spent months recovering from his injury. Even now, he has not returned to the field.

Xuan Son feels like he was born in Vietnam (Photo: Tien Tuan).

“I celebrated the championship in the hospital. At that time, I watched the match with my wife, just praying that the referee would blow the final whistle soon so that we could become champions,” Xuan Son emotionally recalled the difficult moment.

During his return to his home country of Brazil to recuperate, Xuan Son gave an interview to ESPN. In it, the striker born in 1997 recalled what had happened: “When I first arrived, everything was so strange to me. I came to a country that had not yet developed much in football. The pitch and facilities here were not good. Therefore, I thought I would not stay here for long.

Those who want to stay will adapt. It is not that Vietnam has to change for us, but we have to learn to adapt to Vietnam.”

And then, as fate would have it, Rafaelson stayed in Vietnam for 5 years and was naturalized as a Vietnamese citizen with the name Xuan Son, before becoming a hero of the Vietnamese national team.

Xuan Son commented on the Vietnamese people: “This is a very united nation. When I talk about patriotism, I mean solidarity. Whatever you do for Vietnam, for the Vietnamese people, you will be recognized and embraced by your fans.”

Xuan Son wants to help the Vietnamese team attend the 2030 World Cup (Photo: Manh Quan).

From a place of “not wanting to stay long”, Xuan Son started learning Vietnamese and fell in love with Vietnamese food. Now, he considers Vietnam his second home. “Sometimes I feel as if I was born here”, Xuan Son confided.

To date, Xuan Son has played 120 matches in the V-League, scoring 90 goals and providing 15 assists. Those numbers make him one of the best foreign players in the history of the tournament.

In recent years, the V-League has attracted more and more foreign players, especially Brazilians. According to the CIES Football Observatory, from 2020 to 2025, up to 80 players will leave Brazil to play in Vietnam.

There is no doubt that Xuan Son's success has helped pave the way for this wave, along with his attractive salary. Some clubs such as Nam Dinh are willing to pay players salaries equivalent to those in the Brazilian national championship, although the average level of the V-League is only equal to the Brazilian second division.

Xuan Son's two sons were both born in Vietnam. From a stranger, this player vowed to devote himself to the Vietnamese team.

Xuan Son has a great desire to help the Vietnamese team win a ticket to the 2030 World Cup: “My biggest dream is to join the Vietnamese team at the 2030 World Cup. I know it is a very difficult goal, but nothing is impossible. I want to devote my best to making that come true.”

That is not only a promise to Vietnamese football, but also the aspiration of a son who has found a second homeland, where he is loved, honored and given the mission to lead an entire generation.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nguyen-xuan-son-noi-that-long-ve-cuoc-song-va-bong-da-viet-nam-20250905192020904.htm