Nguyen Xuan Son, the AFF Cup title, and the domestic striker question Vietnamese football has not answered

On January 5, 2026, Vietnam won the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2026 after beating Thailand 3-2 on aggregate in Bangkok. Nguyen Xuan Son, a Brazil-born naturalized striker, scored seven goals and was named the tournament's top scorer and best player. He suffered a serious leg injury in the second leg. The title is Vietnam's third after victories in 2026 and 2026, but this success should not hide a deeper structural issue: Vietnam has not produced a reliable homegrown centre-forward for nearly two decades. V.League clubs rely heavily on foreign or naturalized strikers, pushing young domestic forwards out of the No.9 role. Naturalization solves a symptom, not the root problem. The real test begins in the V.League: whether clubs will trust young Vietnamese centre-forwards and let them develop through match experience. If not, the next generation will still be waiting for another Nguyen Xuan Son.