Southeast Asian media shows interest in Vietnam's newly naturalized Brazilian striker

"Vietnam seems to be very serious in preparing for the 2024 AFF Cup," Indonesian sports newspaper Bola noted, adding that Vietnam’s recent struggles against Indonesia, with three consecutive losses in 2024, had led to a "wind of change" in the national team’s approach.

Indonesian sports website Bolabob also highlighted the impact of Rafaelson’s inclusion, suggesting that the addition of the Brazilian-born striker makes Vietnam "even more dangerous."

Sindo News said that Rafaelson is "hungry for goals" and saw him as a threat to Indonesia.

CNN Indonesia offered further analysis: "The presence of Rafaelson is a spark of hope for Vietnamese fans because of his excellent goal-scoring ability. He will strengthen the attack, alongside Nguyen Tien Linh, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Dinh Bac, and Phan Van Duc."

Rafaelson (C), along with Nguyen Van Vi (L), and Nguyen Van Toan have received a call-up to the Vietnam national team. Photo by VFF

In Thailand, Think Curve, a popular social networking site, posted a photo of Rafaelson with the caption: "Coach Kim Sang-sik called up Rafaelson for the 2024 AFF Cup as predicted."

One Football Malaysia praised Vietnam’s decision to naturalize the 27-year-old striker, calling it a "wise and valuable decision", pointing to Rafaelson’s impressive V. League record over the past two seasons, having scored a total of 47 goals. The publication also compared his form with Malaysia’s recent naturalized strikers, such as Paulo Josue and Guilherme de Paula, who have failed to crack the top five scorers in the Malaysian Super League.

The news has also sparked discussion on popular Southeast Asian football forums like ASEAN Football and Seasia Goal. Indonesian fans, in particular, suggested that Rafaelson's call-up could mark a turning point, ending the mockery from Vietnamese supporters who had previously criticized Indonesia’s policy of naturalizing players with Dutch heritage.

Rafaelson, whose Vietnamese name is Nguyen Xuan Son, became a Vietnamese citizen in September. He is the first naturalized player to be called up to the national team since 2009, following in the footsteps of Phan Van Santos, Huynh Kesley Alves, Dinh Hoang Max and Dinh Hoang La.

The 27-year-old striker holds the record for the most goals scored in a season of V. League, having netted 31 times during the 2023-2024 season. This performance surpassed the previous record of 25 goals set by Le Huynh Duc in 1996.

Under FIFA's regulations, Rafaelson qualifies to play for Vietnam after meeting the requirement of living in the country for at least five years after the age of 10. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) provided the necessary papers and FIFA confirmed that Rafaelson will reach the required five-year mark on Dec. 20, 2024.

Rafaelson will miss the first three group stage matches of Vietnam at the 2024 AFF Cup (now ASEAN Cup). He is expected to make his debut in the final group stage match against Myanmar on Dec. 21.