Vietnam officially naturalizes Brazilian striker Rafaelson

Vietnam's Nam Dinh Football Club officially announced that Brazilian forward Rafaelson has successfully obtained Vietnamese citizenship and changed his name to Nguyễn Xuân Sơn.

Nam Dinh Club Announcement:
On September 20, 2024, Rafaelson was officially recognized as a Vietnamese citizen. He has taken the name Nguyễn Xuân Sơn and will play for Nam Dinh Football Club as a naturalized player.

Born in Brazil in 1997, Nguyễn Xuân Sơn came to Vietnam in early 2020 to play for Nam Dinh. He later moved to Da Nang and Binh Dinh before returning to Nam Dinh in 2023. In the 2023/2024 season, Nguyễn Xuân Sơn had an outstanding performance, scoring 31 goals, the highest number of goals in a single season in the history of the Vietnamese league. He helped Nam Dinh Steel win the league championship, earned the top scorer award, and was named to the Team of the Season.

Nguyễn Xuân Sơn said: “Today I am very happy. My dream of becoming a Vietnamese citizen has finally come true. I love this country and will give my all on the field.”