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Nguyen Xuan Son celebrates a goal during Vietnam’s 7-0 victory over Timor-Leste in Group A of the ASEAN Cup, at Chonburi Stadium, Thailand, on July 24, 2026. Photo by Read/Duc Dong |
Before the match at My Dinh Stadium on Friday, The Straits Times dedicated an article to highlight Xuan Son’s dominance. The major Singaporean daily newspaper labeled the Brazilian-born striker the “Hanoi Haaland,” highlighting his powerful runs, physical strength and impressive goal-scoring ability.
Xuan Son is a “nightmare” for Singaporean fans following his performance in the 2024 ASEAN Cup. During that tournament, the naturalized striker single-handedly dismantled Singapore, scoring three goals across the two semi-final legs. His contributions propelled Vietnam to a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and the team went on to win the title, with Xuan Son sweeping the individual awards as the tournament’s top scorer (with seven goals) and best player.
Two years later, the 29-year-old remains the key player of the defending champions’ attack. He recently opened his account in the 2026 ASEAN Cup by scoring in Vietnam’s crushing 7-0 victory over Timor-Leste, bringing his international tally to 12 goals in just 10 appearances for Vietnam.
Singaporean media suggest that with a height of 1.85 m, the ability to hold off defenders and sharp finishing, Xuan Son reminds people of Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland.
To back up the comparison, The Straits Times pointed out that the naturalized striker currently boasts a better international goal-scoring rate compared to Haaland. While the Manchester City star has an incredible record of 62 goals in 55 matches for Norway (averaging 1.13 goals per game), Xuan Son is currently averaging 1.20 goals per game for Vietnam.
Xuan Son’s impact goes beyond scoring. In the win against Timor-Leste, he frequently connected with teammates, dropping deeper to create attacking space for others, which also reminds people of another elite striker, Harry Kane.
“I’m happy when I score,” Xuan Son said after the Timor-Leste game. “Scoring is always the duty of a striker. There were games that I didn’t score as many as expected, but I always try my best.”
“I will try even harder. That is my responsibility,” Son said when asked about the game against Singapore.
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Nguyen Xuan Son during Vietnam’s 7-0 victory over Timor-Leste in Group A of the ASEAN Cup, at Chonburi Stadium, Thailand on July 24, 2026. Photo by Read/Duc Dong |
Xuan Son was born Rafaelson in Brazil and built his reputation playing for clubs like Nam Dinh FC and SHB Da Nang in the V. League 1.
His most remarkable domestic run came after returning to Nam Dinh in 2023, where his goal-scoring record (61 goals in 61 matches) helped the club win the 2024 V. League 1 title.
Later that same year, he obtained his Vietnamese citizenship, allowing him to play for Vietnam after meeting FIFA’s residency requirements. He quickly proved that coach Kim’s decision to call him up was the right one.
Vietnam have two other Brazilian-born players: midfielder Do Hoang Hen (real name Hendrio) and striker Nguyen Tai Loc (Geovane Magno).
The attack looks deeper than ever, providing coach Kim with multiple tactical choices on their journey to defend the title.
Going into the upcoming match, Vietnam hold a formidable 16-match unbeaten streak against Singapore, a record stretching all the way back to their defeat in the 1998 Tiger Cup (now ASEAN Cup) final. They are also on stellar form, with 14 consecutive wins among 18 unbeaten games in total.
Despite the dominating statistics against the opponent, coach Kim remains grounded.
“The goal is to defend the title, but first we have to focus on each game,” he said. “To win, we must fight as a team. I want the players to control the game and enjoy football.”