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"Our biggest goal is to qualify for the 2030 World Cup," Son shared with ESPN Brazil while taking a vacation in his hometown last month.
"The contract renewal until 2031 is a guarantee that the dream, which began in the interior of Maranhão and crossed oceans, can live on," the news site wrote.
He said that winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, even though he could only celebrate from the hospital, was a beautiful memory that he could never have imagined.
Son, whose Brazilian name is Rafaelson Fernandes, received Vietnamese citizenship in September 2024 and became the first naturalized player without Vietnamese ancestry to be called up to the national team since 2009.
He made important contributions to Vietnam's title triumph at the 2024 ASEAN Cup in January, where he was named MVP, although he suffered a fractured leg and had to leave the pitch during the final.
The victory has been the most significant achievement so far in Son's journey in Vietnam, which had "a bit scary," he admitted.
Son is now in the final stages of recovering from the injury, eight months after undergoing surgery on his tibia. He is working hard to return to the Vietnam national team early next year, when coach Kim Sang-sik's team play their final matches in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying.
