Southeast Asian fans reacted strongly when Xuan Son won the C1 Cup top scorer.

The award of the ASEAN club competition's Golden Boot to naturalized forward Nguyen Xuan Son has caused a stir among regional supporters, who spare no words of admiration.

The 2025/26 Southeast Asian Club Championship (Shopee Cup) has officially concluded with the title going to Thai representative Buriram United after a 3-1 aggregate victory over Selangor. Although Steel Xuan Nam Dinh FC had to stop at the semifinals with much regret, Vietnamese football can still be proud that the naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son excellently won the co-top scorer award of the tournament with 7 goals, equal to superstar Bergson da Silva of Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Right after the organizers honored the Brazilian-born striker, major football forums in the region such as ASEAN Football exploded with thousands of interactions. Witnessing his impressive scoring rate – averaging a goal every 64 minutes – many Southeast Asian fans expressed their admiration.

A fan from Malaysia shared: "Unbelievable! Nam Dinh was eliminated in the semifinals, yet Xuan Son still won the top scorer award. He is truly a sharp finisher and far above the rest of the tournament."

Sharing the same view, an account from Indonesia commented on the strong comeback of this striker: "After the terrible injury at the AFF Cup 2024, I thought he would collapse. But this award is a powerful statement that Xuan Son is ready to return to his peak form."

This achievement helps Xuan Son extend his incredible personal collection. In less than two years, he has twice dominated the scoring charts at both club and national team levels (after winning the double of top scorer and best player at AFF Cup 2024). Xuan Son's explosion is not only a joy for Nam Dinh but also indirectly sends a strong warning to regional rivals ahead of the 2026 AFF Cup taking place in July this year.

The overwhelming strength of the striker born in 1997 makes many opponents wary. A Thai fan commented anxiously: "Look at the way he destroys defenses. At this rate, if Xuan Son keeps this form, Vietnam will win Southeast Asia again this year. Other teams will have to find a way to lock down this threat if they don't want to regret it."

Although facing some difficulties in the V-League front, this prestigious international title will certainly be the perfect psychological springboard for Xuan Son to quickly regain his "killer" instinct, ready to join the Vietnam national team to defend the regional throne.