REMEMBER HIM?
Rafaelson received the best player of the match award in the duel against Myanmar
Published on December 26, 2024 at 1:26 pm
Rafaelson celebrates goal for Vietnam national team Credit: VFF/Disclosure
Revealed by Vitória, striker Rafaelson had a ‘dream debut’ for the Vietnam team. In his first appearance for the country’s team, the 27-year-old player scored two goals and two assists in the 5-0 defeat of Myanmar, last Saturday (21), in a match valid for the Southeast Asian Cup. The excellent performance earned the athlete the best of the field award.
“It was a debut that I always dreamed of. Defending the Vietnam team, a country that welcomed me and my family so well, is a huge honor. I’m very happy for this opportunity and I hope it’s the beginning of a beautiful story”, celebrated the Maranhão native, who today defends Nam Dinh FC, current Vietnamese champion.
The great performance didn’t stop there. This Thursday (26), the player scored again for the national team, this time in the 2-0 victory over Singapore, away from home, in the first leg of the Southeast Asian Cup semi-final. The return match, on Vietnamese soil, is scheduled for next Sunday (29).
“We are very focused on this decisive week. The group knows the responsibility of representing the country and what we need to do to seek classification. We will work hard to achieve the objective”, concluded the striker.
Rafaelson debuted for Vitória in 2015 and left Toca do Leão in 2018, when he went to Vegalta Sendai, in Japan. He was then signed by Naestved, in Denmark, until arriving in Vietnam in 2019. In the Asian country, he has accumulated 108 matches and 79 goals scored with the shirts of Da Nang, Bình Dinh FC and Nam Dinh FC. This year, the athlete completed the naturalization process and received a new name: Nguyen Xuan Son.
