Background and career
Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁafaɛwˈsõ beˈze.ʁɐ feʁˈnɐ̃.d͡ʒis], born 30 March 1997), known mononymously as Rafaelson and also as Nguyễn Xuân Son (Vietnamese pronunciation: [ŋwiən˦ˀ˥ swən˧˧ sɔn˧˧]), is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for the V.League 1 club Thép Xanh Nam Định. Born in Brazil, he represents the Vietnam national team.
Rafaelson began his football career in his native Brazil. He went playing abroad from 2018 and had unsuccessful spells in Japan and Denmark. In 2020, he moved to Vietnam, signing for Nam Định. In this country, he blossomed as a goalscorer, finishing as V.League 1's top scorer in the 2023 and 2023–24. The 2023–24 season was notable as he scored 31 goals in the V.League 1, breaking the previous record of 25 goals set by Lê Huỳnh Đức in 1996. Rafaelson’s outstanding form played a key role in helping Nam Định win the V.League 1 title and established him as the leading goalscorer in Vietnamese football.
Rafaelson is a dual citizen of Brazil and Vietnam. After five years of residency in Vietnam, he was granted Vietnamese citizenship in September 2024. Later in the year, he featured in the 2024 ASEAN Championship for Vietnam and scored a brace in his debut against Myanmar. Later, he finished as the top goalscorer of the tournament and assisted Vietnam in their win of the title; he went on to receive the best player award for his performances. In the 2026 edition, he helped Vietnam defended their title and finished once again as top scorer.
