Rafaelson, the top scorer of the 2023-24 Vietnamese top-flight football tournament V.League 1 from Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC, submitted an application for Vietnamese citizenship on Thursday, expressing his desire to contribute to the Vietnam national team.

In his application, Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes, commonly known in Vietnam as Rafaelson, stated that he carefully learned about Vietnamese citizenship laws.

Over the past year, Rafaelson has consistently expressed his desire to become a Vietnamese citizen and contribute to the national team.

If granted Vietnamese nationality, Rafaelson wishes to adopt the Vietnamese name Nguyen Xuan Son. 

He has pledged loyalty to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and commits to fulfilling all obligations as a Vietnamese citizen in accordance with the country’s constitution and laws.

Additionally, Rafaelson seeks to retain his Brazilian nationality to preserve his rights and interests, as Brazilian law allows dual citizenship.

Born in 1997 in Pirapemas, a municipality in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, Rafaelson moved to Vietnam in 2020 to play for Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC in the northern province of Nam Dinh. 

He subsequently played for Da Nang FC in the central city of Da Nang and Quy Nhon Binh Dinh FC in the south-central province of Binh Dinh before returning to Thep Xanh Nam Dinh for the 2023-24 V.League 1 season.

During the 2023-24 season, Rafaelson was instrumental in helping Thep Xanh Nam Dinh win the V.League 1 championship. 

He was honored with a hat-trick of awards: Best Player, Top Scorer with 31 goals in 24 matches, and Best Goal of V.League 1. 

In the 2022-23 season, he also secured the Top Scorer title with 16 goals while playing for Quy Nhon Binh Dinh FC.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!