Nguyen Xuan Son officially received Vietnamese citizenship

On the afternoon of October 15, striker Rafaelson was granted Vietnamese citizenship at the Department of Justice of Nam Dinh province. Witnessing the ceremony were leaders of the Department of Justice of Nam Dinh province, leaders of the Nam Dinh Green Steel Club and Rafaelson's wife. He has lived in Vietnam for the past time and has made many contributions to Nam Dinh football. Rafaelson chose the Vietnamese name Nguyen Xuan Son.

According to FIFA regulations, Rafaelson still has to wait until January 2025 to officially play for the Vietnam team. He needs to live continuously in Vietnam for 5 years because he is 100% Brazilian and has no Vietnamese blood.

After receiving the decision, Rafaelson emotionally said: “My whole family is living in Vietnam. For me, this is my second home. I am truly happy to become a Vietnamese citizen.

I would like to thank General Secretary and President To Lam, leaders of Vietnamese ministries and agencies, Nam Dinh Province, and Nam Dinh Green Steel Club for supporting me to make my dream come true. I promise to strictly comply with Vietnamese laws and do my best to contribute to Vietnamese football."

Rafaelson was born in 1997 in Brazil and started playing football in Vietnam in 2020. After meeting all the requirements, Rafaelson was supported by Nam Dinh Steel Club with the procedures to obtain Vietnamese citizenship before the 2024/2025 season. On September 20, 2024, General Secretary and President To Lam signed a decision to grant him Vietnamese citizenship. Rafaelson will be named Nguyen Xuan Son.

This season, Xuan Son has only scored 1 goal in the C2 Asian Cup and has not scored any goals in the V.League. In the coming time, the striker born in 1997 needs to improve his performance to soon become the leader of the Vietnamese team.

Coach Kim Sang-sik wants to have Xuan Son's service because the Vietnamese team is lacking quality names in attack.