Nguyễn Tiến Linh (born 20 October 1997) is a Vietnamese professional footballer who plays as a striker for V.League 1 club Becamex Bình Dương and the Vietnam national team.[2] In 2021, Tiến Linh was nominated by a panel of sports journalists and football experts for Best Footballer in Asia.[3] He is considered one of the best Vietnamese footballers of his generation. After the match against China in February 2022, he became the all-time leader for Vietnam in the World Cup qualifiers, passing Lê Công Vinh who had 7 goals.[4]

Nguyễn Tiến Linh
Tiến Linh in 2023
Personal information
Full name Nguyễn Tiến Linh
Date of birth (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 26)
Place of birth Cẩm Giàng, Hải Dương, Vietnam
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Becamex Bình Dương
Number 22
Youth career
2009–2015 Becamex Bình Dương
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016– Becamex Bình Dương 155 (57)
International career
2015–2017 Vietnam U19 11 (5)
2018–2022 Vietnam U23 30 (12)
2018– Vietnam 46 (20)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Vietnam
AFF Championship
Winner ASEAN 2018 Team
Runner-up ASEAN 2022 Team
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Philippines Team
Gold medal – first place 2021 Vietnam Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 June 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2024

Early life

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Nguyễn Tiến Linh was born and raised in the Cam Hoang commune of the Cam Giang district, Hai Duong. At the age of 2, his mother moved to South Korea for work. At the age of 6, he followed his father to Binh Duong. His mother returned to Vietnam when he was 9 years old. Currently, his family owns a football theme coffee shop in the city of Thuận An.[5]

Club career

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Becamex Binh Duong U19

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2015

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With 5 goals, Tiến Linh was the top scorer of Vietnamese National U-19 Football Championship.

Becamex Binh Duong

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2016–present

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Tiến Linh made his first debut with Becamex Binh Duong in 2016.

Over 4 years, Tiến Linh scored 26 goals, with fifteen in 2018, five in 2020, and six in 2021 before the cancellation of V.League 1.[6] Becamex Binh Duong won the Vietnamese National Football Super Cup and also placed second in the Vietnamese National Football Super Cup, also earning the Vietnamese Bronze Ball in 2022.[7]

International career

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2018: First Match for Vietnam and won AFF Championship

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On 8 November 2018, Tiến Linh made his debut for the national team in the match against Laos. He scored his first goal for Vietnam against Cambodia in their last group match. At the end, Tiến Linh and Vietnam won 2018 AFF Championship.

2019-present

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2022 World Cup qualification

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On 15 October 2019, Tiến Linh scored his first goal in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against Indonesia. A month later, he scored the only goal against UAE. In June 2021, he scored 3 goals in the last 3 matches of the second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification to promote Vietnam to the third round. On 1 February 2022, he scored a goal in the match against China to surpass Le Cong Vinh as the top scorer for Vietnam in the history of World Cup qualification.[citation needed]

2020 AFF Championship

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In 2020 AFF Championship, he scored a brace in a 4–0 win against Cambodia, but his team lost in the semi-finals to Thailand.

2022 AFF Championship

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Tiến Linh scored 6 goals in 2022 AFF Championship to share the top goalscorer award with Thai striker Teerasil Dangda, but Vietnam once again lost Thailand by 2-3 on aggregate in the finals.

2026 World Cup qualification

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During the 2nd round, Tiến Linh scored two goals against the Philippines and was awarded the Player of the Match title. Vietnam however was eliminated of the World Cup.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 25 June 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Becamex Binh Duong 2016 V.League 1 15 2 4 1 1[a] 0 20 3
2017 V.League 1 12 2 5 1 17 3
2018 V.League 1 19 15 6 0 25 15
2019 V.League 1 17 7 3 2 7[b] 1 1[c] 0 28 10
2020 V.League 1 18 5 1 0 19 5
2021 V.League 1 11 6 1 0 12 6
2022 V.League 1 20 9 0 0 20 9
2023 V.League 1 18 3 2 1 20 4
2023-24 V.League 1 25 8 3 3 28 11
Total career 155 57 25 8 8 1 1 0 189 66
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in AFC Cup
  3. ^ Appearance in Vietnamese Super Cup

International

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As of match played 11 June 2024[8]

National Team Year Apps Goals
Appearances and goals by national team and year
Vietnam 2018 5 2
2019 7 2
2021 15 7
2022 7 3
2023 8 4
2024 4 2
Total 46 20

Scores and results list Vietnam's goal tally first. [8]

List of international goals scored by Nguyễn Tiến Linh
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 24 November 2018 Hàng Đẫy Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam   Cambodia 1–0 3–0 2018 AFF Championship
2. 25 December 2018 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam   North Korea 1–0 1–1 Friendly
3. 15 October 2019 Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Indonesia   Indonesia 3–0 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 14 November 2019 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam   United Arab Emirates 1–0 1–0
5. 7 June 2021 Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates   Indonesia 1–0 4–0
6. 11 June 2021   Malaysia 1–0 2–1
7. 15 June 2021 Zabeel Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates   United Arab Emirates 1–3 2–3
8. 7 October 2021 Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates   China 2–2 2–3 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
9. 12 October 2021 Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman   Oman 1–0 1–3
10. 19 December 2021 Bishan Stadium, Bishan, Singapore   Cambodia 1–0 4–0 2020 AFF Championship
11. 2–0
12. 1 February 2022 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam   China 2–0 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
13. 21 December 2022 New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos   Laos 1–0 6–0 2022 AFF Championship
14. 27 December 2022 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam   Malaysia 1–0 3–0
15. 3 January 2023   Myanmar 2–0 3–0
16. 9 January 2023   Indonesia 1–0 2–0
17. 2–0
18. 13 January 2023   Thailand 1–0 2–2
19. 6 June 2024   Philippines 1–1 3–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
20. 2–1

Honours

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Club

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Becamex Binh Duong

International

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Vietnam

Vietnam U23

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ "Nguyễn Tiến Linh".
  2. ^ Nguyễn Tiến Linh at Soccerway
  3. ^ "Nguyễn Tiến Linh được đề cử danh hiệu Cầu thủ xuất sắc nhất châu Á 2021". congluan.vn. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Tiền đạo Nguyễn Tiến Linh: Phá kỷ lục, đặt mục tiêu mới". thanhnien.vn. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Cầu thủ Nguyễn Tiến Linh quê ở đâu? Tiểu sử cầu thủ Tiến Linh". 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Huỷ giải V.League 2021: Một quyết định lịch sử". laodong.vn. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Quả bóng Đồng - Nguyễn Tiến Linh: 'Xứng danh' trung phong số 1 Việt Nam". thethao247.vn. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Nguyễn Tiến Linh". at National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Register". Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via instagram.