Indonesia Newspaper Comments on Vietnam National Team’s Future Naturalized Trio

Indonesia’s SuperBall has shared insights about the Vietnam National Team’s naturalized players ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup campaign.

Recently, multiple sources revealed that center-back Gustavo Santos might obtain Vietnamese citizenship and is ready to represent the national team. The Brazilian defender has played in Vietnam for six years and is fully eligible to wear the Vietnam jersey soon.

If this happens, the Vietnam National Team could potentially have the service of three naturalized stars from Brazil, including Hendrio, who will qualify early next year, and Xuân Son, a star who played for Vietnam at the AFF Cup 2024 late last year.

Given this scenario, Indonesia’s SuperBall confidently believes this is the hope for Vietnam to avenge their loss against Malaysia in the second match of Group F in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The article’s title reads: "Three Brazilian-born naturalized players have arrived, Vietnam is ready to defeat Malaysia once again."

In the article, SuperBall also suggests that these three could cause significant challenges for Malaysia, alongside Vietnam’s strong desire to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

SuperBall writes: "...Driven by a thirst for revenge, Vietnam certainly does not want to lose face again, especially on home soil in front of thousands of fans.

Therefore, the Vietnam National Team is preparing surprise cards for the rematch against Malaysia in March 2026.

Not wanting to be left out of the competition, the 'Golden Star Warriors' have called up three Brazilian-born naturalized players to strengthen their squad and aim to settle old scores.

Among them, two are new faces (Hendrio and Gustavo Santos) but both have played many years in the V-League, thus fully eligible to become Vietnamese citizens."

Currently, only Hendrio must wait until early next year to be eligible to play for Vietnam, while Gustavo Santos just needs time to complete his naturalization procedures. As for Xuân Son, the 1997-born star is expected to return in early 2026 after his injury at the AFF Cup 2024.

Before the rematch with Malaysia, Vietnam will focus on three matches against Nepal and Laos in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

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