Xuan Son's return is a salvation for all

Xuan Son still needs time to regain his old form. However, that information at least brings confidence and hope for the goal-scoring of Nam Dinh Club and Vietnam National Team.

Historical value of Xuan Son

In the 34th minute of the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final on January 5 in Thailand, Xuan Son made a personal breakthrough on the right wing to break away from the marking of center-back Pansa Hemviboon, then moved into the Thai penalty area. After those steps of speed racing to pass to his teammate, he collapsed on the field, unable to get up because of a broken leg.

For the past 10 months, football fans have not seen this “evil spirit” on the field. Without Xuan Son, football fans feel like they are missing the rich flavor of victory.

Without the services of Xuan Son, coach Vu Hong Viet and then Mr. Nguyen Kien Trung in Nam Dinh were compared to hunting without a gun. Lacking a naturalized striker, coach Kim Sang-sik had a headache finding a solution to exploit the opponent's goal.

Praising Xuan Son as a “goal machine” is not an exaggeration. In V.League 2023/24 alone, this striker scored a record 31 goals for Nam Dinh. In the first 9 matches of V.League 2024/25, before being injured, Xuan Son contributed 7 goals. If he had not been an audience member, the title of Top Scorer could have continued to be awarded to Xuan Son.

It is worth noting that the player who scored the most goals in V.League 2024/25 only had 14 goals, more than the team but played 3 times more matches than Xuan Son. In the history of the Southeast Asian tournament starting from the name Tiger Cup 96 to before ASEAN Cup 2024, no player has won the double of individual titles of Best Player and Top Scorer, including famous legends of Thai football such as Natipong Sritong-In or Kiatisuk Senamuang.

But after just 5 matches (the first 3 matches of the group stage could not be played due to not meeting the procedures to become a Vietnamese player), Xuan Son was named for both of those awards at the ASEAN Cup 2024 without any whispers.

Xuan Son is about to return.

“Excerpt from the book” is a way to affirm the value of Xuan Son for both Nam Dinh Club and Vietnam National Team. Without the service of this naturalized player, Nam Dinh fell into crisis with 6 consecutive matches without a win, even though it was against teams drowning in crisis such as Becamex TP.HCM or HAGL.

Without Xuan Son, the Vietnamese team was likened to “running headfirst into the bush” when they only barely won against Nepal, who were at the bottom of the FIFA rankings, 62 places below the Vietnamese team. Without players of the same caliber, Mr. Kim’s team easily surrendered to the “illegally naturalized” army of Malaysia with 4 unanswered goals and now, they have to anxiously wait for the AFC’s decision to reverse the situation in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Drought meets showers

The news that Xuan Son could return in November was like a thunderclap in the sky, dispelling the worries of the football world. Of course, Xuan Son's injury is very serious, so it is not certain that he will regain his form soon, and it may even take a long time.

But at least, it also brings optimism, helping Nam Dinh and the Vietnam National Team have a good choice for the attack. It is important to know that Xuan Son is a complete striker. Possessing an ideal physique (1.85 meters), abundant physical strength, he accelerates very quickly, presses strongly, is considered a "magnet" to attract the opponent's defense, creating space for teammates.

This Brazilian player is versatile in finishing as he can head the ball, use his feet from low, and shoot from a distance very effectively. In particular, Xuan Son is not selfish, only knowing that his teammates serve him to score goals.

Once Xuan Son returns, coach Nguyen Trung Kien will not have to struggle to find players to trust in scoring goals.

On the contrary, Xuan Son also showed a very high team spirit when he knew how to move away from the 16.50 meter area to attract the opponent's defenders, create space for his teammates, and know how to create for his teammates. The ball that led to the injury was a clear demonstration of the harmony in Xuan Son's general playing style.

Once Xuan Son returns, Coach Nguyen Trung Kien will not have to struggle to find players to trust in scoring goals, even though Nam Dinh currently has many foreign strikers. With Xuan Son, Coach Kim will also have a more effective support in cutting through the concrete style of play like the way the Vietnam team encountered Nepal in the last two matches of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Of course, the expectation coming immediately in November is probably hasty. The return of V.League 2025/26 early next year after the upcoming holidays or the match with Malaysia in March next year is the right time to put hope on Xuan Son.

Do Hoang Hen wears Ao Dai on the day he becomes a Vietnamese citizen. Midfielder Do Hoang Hen wears Ao Dai and sings the National Anthem in Vietnamese at the Ceremony to grant Vietnamese Citizenship on the morning of October 17 at the Hanoi Department of Justice.

Source: https://znews.vn/xuan-son-tro-lai-la-cuu-canh-cho-tat-ca-post1598989.html