Hoàng Đức is approaching a legendary milestone in Vietnamese football

Nguyễn Hoàng Đức stands before a chance to enter the history of the Vietnamese Golden Ball by being included in the 2025 final nominees.

According to the announcement from the organizers of the 2025 Vietnamese Golden Ball awards by the newspaper Sài Gòn Giải Phóng , the shortlist for the 2025 Male Golden Ball category includes 5 players: Nguyễn Tiến Linh, Nguyễn Quang Hải, Nguyễn Đình Bắc, Nguyễn Hoàng Đức, and goalkeeper Trần Trung Kiên. All are notable contributors in 2025, both at club and national team levels.

The inclusion of the two young players Đình Bắc and Trung Kiên in the final list is not surprising. Both have performed outstandingly, playing key roles in the successful journey of Vietnam U22 by winning the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia Championship and most recently securing the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. Notably, striker Đình Bắc is even considered capable of competing fairly with his senior peers for the Golden Ball.

However, the name attracting the most attention remains Nguyễn Hoàng Đức. If he wins the 2025 Vietnamese Golden Ball, the midfielder born in 1998 will claim the title for the third time, thereby matching the record of two legends, Lê Công Vinh and Lê Huỳnh Đức,who have each won this prestigious award three times. At that point, Hoàng Đức would only trail Phạm Thành Lương, the record holder with four Golden Ball wins (2009, 2011, 2014, 2016).

Moreover, Hoàng Đức would surpass many great names in Vietnamese football history such as Nguyễn Văn Quyết (twice: 2020, 2022) and former star Nguyễn Hồng Sơn (twice: 1998, 2000), entering the elite group of the greatest players to have won the Vietnamese Golden Ball.

In terms of form, Hoàng Đức is having an impressive season at club level. He has been the “key” in Ninh Bình’s unbeaten season in the First Division, before helping the team secure promotion and continue to make a strong impact in the 2025-2026 V-League. Under coach Gerald Albadalejo, Hoàng Đức has become the “heart” of the midfield, playing a major role in leading Ninh Bình to the top of the standings with 11 unbeaten matches (8 wins, 3 draws).

Statistics show that after just 11 rounds, Hoàng Đức has broken his personal record for goals and assists in a single V-League season. He has scored 5 goals and provided 6 assists, directly involved in 42% of Ninh Bình’s total goals. Across 8 V-League seasons, the midfielder from Hải Dương has tallied 22 goals and 27 assists in 134 matches.

Currently, Hoàng Đức leads the V-League in assists and is also among the top scorers in the league. Among domestic players, he is far ahead of many teammates and rivals, including experienced names like Nguyễn Quang Hải and Nguyễn Văn Quyết.