According to Daily Mail (UK), the 1997-born striker scored 40 goals for Nam Dinh FC and the Vietnam national team, a tally equaling that of Jonathan David (Lille) and Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiakos).
Most of Son’s impressive goal scoring record came while he was playing for Nam Dinh FC. He clinched the V-League Golden Boot for the 2023–2024 season and is maintaining an extraordinary scoring pace this season, with 12 goals in 12 matches for Nam Dinh FC.
Despite only making his debut for the national team in the final group match of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Xuan Son has already netted five goals in three games, positioning himself as the tournament’s leading scorer.
Furthermore, Xuan Son, who ranked 8th globally, even surpasses French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who ranked 10th with 39 goals in 2024.
At the top, Swedish international Viktor Gyökeres, playing for Sporting, leads the global scoring charts with 62 goals, significantly ahead of second-placed Erling Haaland, who scored 49 goals.
Harry Kane comes third with 46 goals, while Cristiano Ronaldo, at 39 years old, remains a phenomenon, scoring 43 goals to claim 4th place worldwide.
Chinese striker Wu Lei also makes the list with 42 goals this year.
Lionel Messi’s record of 91 goals in 2012 remains unbeaten, while Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most times leading the global scoring charts in a year (five times).
