Xuan Son helps Tien Linh win the Golden Ball, striker number 22 has a surprising move

After 2 times of sadly watching others "grab" the award, Nguyen Tien Linh finally brought home the first Golden Ball in his career. Besides congratulating the number 22 striker, people also mentioned Xuan Son.

On the evening of February 26, at the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball Awards Gala, Nguyen Tien Linh was honored in the Men's Golden Ball category. This is a worthy victory for the player, marking the first time he has received this noble award.

In 2024, striker Nguyen Tien Linh had an excellent season with a total of 23 goals and 3 assists. This achievement is really impressive when compared to Tuan Hai, who is also in the Top 3 candidates for the Vietnam Golden Ball title in 2024, with 13 goals and only scored 1 goal in the first leg of V.League 2024/2025.

On the contrary, Tien Linh scored 4 goals for the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024. His form has continued to be maintained after the tournament, when he led the list of top scorers of V.League 2024/2025 with 10 goals. His achievement is only behind Nguyen Xuan Son, who scored 40 goals in 2024.

A day before the 2024 Ballon d'Or award ceremony, Xuan Son predicted that Tien Linh would win the men's Ballon d'Or. He said: "Tien Linh just had a great 2024. He played well for both his club and the national team, so he has a great chance in the Golden Ball race. The remaining nominees have many memorable moments, but I think Tien Linh stands out more. I believe he will win this title." And he was right.

Speaking of Tien Linh's victory, Xuan Son also contributed significantly. In the first and second leg of the AFF Cup 2024 Semi-finals, the Brazilian striker gave up the opportunity to score his first hat-trick of the season and twice gave up penalties to his teammate wearing the number 22 shirt. Thanks to that, Tien Linh was able to shine and get closer to the title of Vietnam's Golden Ball.

After the award ceremony, Tien Linh emotionally said: "For the first time in my career, I have been able to touch the title of Vietnam Golden Ball, for me it is a source of great pride and happiness. Especially today, my parents and colleagues were present to congratulate me."

With Xuan Son seriously injured and in the recovery phase, Tien Linh will be the number 1 striker of the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers starting next March. Sharing about the absence of a compatible teammate in attack, as well as answering the question about whether he is confident that he will be able to shoulder the task of scoring goals for the Vietnamese team, the new Golden Ball 2024 said:

"Xuan Son's injury is a big disadvantage for the national team. His class has been shown during his years playing in Vietnam. However, we still have other quality strikers waiting to play and show themselves in the near future. I hope not only the strikers but also other players will have the best performance to bring many victories to the national team."

Returning from the Award Gala, Tien Linh decided to donate the entire 40 million VND prize money of the Golden Ball to disadvantaged people. On his personal page, he wrote: "Tien Linh is the happiest person tonight. And fame is for dedication. Linh would like to share this great happiness by donating the entire 2024 Golden Ball prize money worth 40 million VND to 6 disadvantaged people in need of help from the program "Vietnamese Family Home" and contributing more funds to build a boarding house for children of Dan Van Primary and Secondary School, Hoang Su Phi District, Ha Giang City.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for always believing in, accompanying and encouraging Linh regardless of success or failure." Along with the post, the player also updated all the screenshots to guarantee his promise. Many fans praised him for being both talented and kind.

Xuan Son on crutches attends Golden Ball Gala despite not being nominated, shares surprising things about Tien Linh Snow1 month agoAlthough he has not fully recovered from his injury, Xuan Son still traveled from Nam Dinh to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the Vietnam Golden Ball Gala. Accompanying the player were his wife Marcele and their young son.