Will Nguyen Xuan Son compete for the Vietnamese Golden Ball?

As a Vietnamese player at the ASEAN Cup 2024, naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son is not on the nomination list for the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball award.

Nguyen Xuan Son in hospital bed after a broken leg injury - Photo: VFF

Naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son has played brilliantly at the ASEAN Cup 2024. He scored 7 goals in just 5 matches and made a great contribution to the ASEAN Cup 2024 championship of the Vietnamese team. The ASEAN Cup 2024 is a key tournament, greatly deciding the votes for the Vietnam Golden Ball 2024 award. For that reason, the organizing committee had to postpone the deadline for submitting votes until the end of the tournament. With the Vietnamese team winning the Southeast Asian championship against Thailand with a total score of 5-3, the victory was meaningful and had a great impact on the votes for individuals in the Vietnamese team. And Nguyen Xuan Son is the prominent name that helped coach Kim Sang Sik exceed the original target. At the same time, it created conditions for his teammates to score individual points in the race for the Vietnam Golden Ball 2024 title. Many controversies arose before the deadline for submitting votes. Will Nguyen Xuan Son be voted for the "2024 Men's Golden Ball" for the best Vietnamese player? According to the nomination list of the organizing committee, Nguyen Xuan Son is in the "Best Foreign Player" category and not nominated for the "2024 Men's Golden Ball".

Nguyen Tien Linh is a strong candidate for the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball award - Photo: HOANG TUNG

However, the award regulations also clearly state: "Voters can add the names of other excellent players even if they are not on the nomination list...". Thus, it can be understood that, based on the criteria and structure of the regulations, Nguyen Xuan Son can be completely voted for the "Golden Ball" by the delegates (coaches, experts, reporters, etc.). In the past, former striker Huynh Kesley Alves was the first naturalized player to be nominated for the "Golden Ball for Men in 2011". Therefore, it is not surprising that Nguyen Xuan Son appeared in the top 5 list after the organizers collected votes. He could even win both individual titles for himself. The only problem and also the difficult point to resolve for the award is that the organizers of the 2024 Golden Ball have identified Nguyen Xuan Son as a "foreign player".

Are there any surprises in the shortlist for the Vietnam Golden Ball award? - Photo: QT

At the press conference of the program, Mr. Tran Anh Tu, Vice President in charge of professional affairs of the Vietnam Football Federation, said: "We know that last season Rafaelson played mainly as a foreign player. Later, he successfully naturalized". Such a situation makes the race for the title "Golden Ball 2024 Men's" possibly have a surprise at the last minute. Because the voting regulations are based on the tournament's regulations, Xuan Son can compete. Competitors of the naturalized Brazilian player include Nguyen Tien Linh, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Quang Hai. Let's wait and see if the top 5 shortlist will surprise with the name Nguyen Xuan Son.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguyen-xuan-son-co-duoc-tranh-qua-bong-vang-viet-nam-202501100136263.htm