Thai media criticizes Xuan Son in his return to the Vietnam national team

Thai media unexpectedly criticized Xuan Son's performance in the match against Bangladesh, saying he looked "like a different person."

Vietnam national team secured an easy 3-0 victory over Bangladesh in the friendly match on March 27. Notably, this match witnessed the return of Van Hau after a long injury period as well as the combination of the duo Xuan Son - Hoang Hen.

Among them, Xuan Son's performance drew attention. He entered the field in the second half but did not leave any clear impression. Even Xuan Son's performance sparked much controversy, far from the destructive image at the 2024 AFF Cup. In that tournament, Xuan Son scored 7 goals in 5 matches and won the MVP award.

After the recent match against Bangladesh, the Thai fanpage KrianBuriramv2 made surprising comments about Xuan Son: “The Brazilian-born striker of the Vietnam national team returned to play after a long injury period, but his physical condition is no longer as before. His form has clearly declined, even resembling a different person.”

“From his increased weight appearance to his movement and ball handling abilities, all have significantly decreased. Frankly speaking, Xuan Son currently does not maintain the danger he once had.”

Xuan Son suffered a broken leg in the away final of the 2024 AFF Cup in Thailand. This injury forced Xuan Son to leave the pitch for 10 months. He only officially returned from late 2025 and is in the process of finding his best form again.

Sharing after the match, coach Kim Sang-sik also acknowledged signs of decline in Xuan Son. However, the Korean coach sympathized because the key striker of Nam Dinh Steel Blue only recently returned after a long-term injury and expressed faith in him.

Speaking at the press conference, the Korean strategist frankly stated: “We need to check Xuan Son's weight again. Recently he had thigh muscle pain, so today his movement wasn't very smooth. Xuan Son is trying to regain his highest form. I expect him to perform better in the match against Malaysia.”.

In the context of the Vietnam national team aiming for important goals ahead, especially the match against Malaysia, Xuan Son's return still carries many expectations. However, to meet that trust, this striker clearly needs more time to regain the best version of himself.

Xuan Son is predicted to play a larger role in the upcoming match against Malaysia on March 31.

Thai media criticizes Xuan Son in his return to the Vietnam national team

kCoach Kim Sang-sik directly points out the reason Xuan Son hasn't scored