Tien Linh did something shocking while Xuan Son was recovering from his injury, but was still said to be inferior to Hoang Duc.

Known as a good duo in the 2024 ASEAN Cup season, but now Tien Linh has surpassed Xuan Son after scoring against Quang Nam FC. Before that, he also excelled in the Top 5 of the Vietnam Golden Ball.

This is not surprising because striker Nguyen Xuan Son has said goodbye to V.League 2024/2025. He suffered a leg injury in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final, had to undergo surgery twice and is currently recuperating for about 8 months.

Before the match between Quang Nam FC and Binh Duong FC, Tien Linh had 7 goals, equal to Xuan Son (Nam Dinh FC), Goncalves (Hai Phong FC) and Leo Artur (Hanoi Police FC). Therefore, the goal against Quang Nam helped him surpass his Vietnamese teammates, and temporarily lead the race for the V.League Golden Boot with 8 goals.

In particular, with the goal on the field of Quang Nam, Tien Linh reached the milestone of 100 goals in his playing career. The striker born in 1997 has scored 75 goals for Binh Duong Club and 25 goals for the Vietnam national team.

Tien Linh's goal also helped his home club defeat Quang Nam 2-1 at Tam Ky Stadium. Binh Duong has 17 points after 12 matches, and has risen to 6th place on the rankings. This is an achievement that is not commensurate with their investment this season.

Of course, if Xuan Son is not injured and out for the rest of the season, Tien Linh will have a hard time surpassing him. But the Binh Duong Club striker has the right to be happy as he is leading the scoring list in the V-League. With his current form, the 27-year-old striker can absolutely continue to increase his number of goals in the V-League to compete for the title of Top Scorer this season.

Tien Linh is even more motivated to play his best as he also has a chance to win the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball. Tien Linh's main opponent is midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc, who was injured in Ninh Binh's 1-0 win over Dong Thap.

Returning to the 2024 Vietnam Men's Golden Ball race, commentator Quang Huy assessed Tien Linh as a player worthy of the highest title. He said: "I think, each person has their own advantages, throughout 2024, Tien Linh is an outstanding player. Linh in V.League after a difficult time, coach Troussier's team was disappointing, Tien Linh was not appreciated but still knew how to seize the opportunity. In V.League, he played steadily in the role of striker.

In V.League 2024-2025, Tien Linh scored 7 goals, no one scored more than him. In ASEAN Cup 2024, he did not start every match, but Linh still scored 4 goals. Sometimes he only entered the field at the end of the match, but he always entered the field with good spirit. Whatever was required, Linh could do it, ready to be the background for Xuan Son. For me, Tien Linh is the outstanding player this year.

Two other notable players are Hoang Duc and Thanh Chung. Hoang Duc was "out of favor" at the beginning of the year and gradually regained his form. At the ASEAN Cup 2024, Duc played well, and towards the end of the tournament, he showed his role more and more. Thanh Chung did not have Que Ngoc Hai this time, but he fully fulfilled the role that Hai "Que" left. Chung has reached his potential. Duc overcame difficulties and responded with his achievements" - commented commentator Quang Huy.

Including 2024, Tien Linh directly contributed to 26 goals (scoring and assisting), far surpassing Tuan Hai (16 goals) and Quang Hai (15 goals). He has also reached the milestone of 100 goals throughout his professional career. Looking at those parameters, it is clear that Tien Linh has an advantage in terms of expertise.

However, according to the criteria of achievements with the national team, former player Nguyen Tuan Phong commented that Hoang Duc is the better player in the race for the 2024 Men's Golden Ball with his brilliant performance and the 2024 ASEAN Cup championship of the Vietnamese team. Football fans will know the results at the awards gala taking place on the evening of February 26 at Ben Thanh Theater (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City).

Xuan Son helps Tien Linh win the Golden Ball, striker number 22 has a surprising move Nguyễn Tuyết13:55:22 27/02/2025After two times of sadly watching others win the award, Nguyen Tien Linh finally brought home the first Golden Ball of his career. Besides congratulating the number 22 striker, people also mentioned Xuan Son.