Nguyễn Tiến Linh
Vietnamese footballer (born 1997)
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Nguyễn Tiến Linh (born 20 October 1997) is a Vietnamese professional footballer who plays as a striker for V.League 1 club Công An Hồ Chí Minh City, which he captains, and the Vietnam national team.[2]
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Tiến Linh in 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nguyễn Tiến Linh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cẩm Giàng, Hải Dương, Vietnam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Công An Hồ Chí Minh City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2015 | Becamex Bình Dương | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2025 | Becamex Bình Dương | 181 | (81) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Công An Hồ Chí Minh City | 25 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Vietnam U19 | 11 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Vietnam U23 | 21 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Vietnam | 66 | (26) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 June 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 November 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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, and one of the best strikers in Southeast Asia at the moment. Linh won the Vietnamese Golden Ball in 2024.
Early life
Nguyễn Tiến Linh was born and raised in the Cẩm Hoàng commune of the Cẩm Giang district, Hải Dương, Northern Vietnam. At the age of 2, his mother moved to South Korea for work, leaving him alone with his father for 7 years. At the age of 6, he followed his father further south to Bình Dương for permanent settlement. His mother returned to Vietnam when he was 9 years old.[4]
Tiến Linh began playing football for his school team. At the age of 13, he followed his PE teacher's advice and participated in the trial test of Becamex Bình Dương, in which he was later admitted to the club. At first, he played as midfielder, but then switched to striker.[5]
Club career
Becamex Bình Dương
With 5 goals, Tiến Linh was the top scorer of Vietnamese National U-19 Football Championship in 2015. In 2016, Tiến Linh made his first debut with Becamex Bình Dương .
Over 4 years, Tiến Linh scored 26 goals: 15 in 2018, 5 in 2020, and 6 in 2021 before the cancellation of the league due to COVID-19.[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 2021.[7] In 2022, he earned the Vietnamese Silver Ball.
Tiến Linh won the Vietnamese Golden Ball award for the first time in 2024.[8] In the 2024–25 season, Tiến Linh netted 14 goals and was initially the joint top scorer of V.League 1. However, one of his goals was cancelled after the league's examination as it was an own goal, which led Tiến Linh to lose his top scorer award.[9]
Công An Hồ Chí Minh City
On 1 August 2025, Tiến Linh departed from Becamex Bình Dương and signed for league fellow Công An Hồ Chí Minh City.[10]
International career
2018: First Match for Vietnam and won AFF Championship
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
2022 World Cup qualification
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
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
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
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.
2024 ASEAN Championship
Tiến Linh scored 4 goals in 2024 ASEAN Championship, where he combined with the naturalized player Nguyễn Xuân Son to become a perfect duo of strikers who contributed greatly to help Vietnam winning the Southeast Asian championship for the third time.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played on 14 June 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Becamex Bình Dương | 2016 | V.League 1 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | — | 20 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 3 | ||||
| 2018 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 15 | ||||
| 2019 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 7[b] | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 28 | 10 | ||
| 2020 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 5 | ||||
| 2021 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 6 | ||||
| 2022 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 9 | ||||
| 2023 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 4 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 29 | 11 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 15 | ||||
| Total | 181 | 70 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 219 | 81 | ||
| Cong An Hồ Chí Minh City | 2025–26 | V.League 1 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 7 | ||
| Total career | 206 | 76 | 32 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 247 | 88 | ||
- Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
- Appearance in Vietnamese Super Cup
International
As of match played 9 October 2025[11]
| National Team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 2018 | 6 | 2 |
| 2019 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 16 | 7 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 7 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | |
| Total | 66 | 26 | |
Scores and results list Vietnam's goal tally first. [11]
| 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 | |||||
| 21. | 10 September 2024 | Thailand | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2024 LPBank Cup | |
| 22. | 9 December 2024 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos | Laos | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2024 ASEAN Championship |
| 23. | 21 December 2024 | Việt Trì Stadium, Việt Trì, Vietnam | Myanmar | 5–0 | 5–0 | |
| 24. | 26 December 2024 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore |  Singapore | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 25. | 29 December 2024 | Việt Trì Stadium, Việt Trì, Vietnam | 3–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 26. | 9 October 2025 | Gò Đậu Stadium, Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam |  Nepal | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Honours
Becamex Bình Dương
Công An Hồ Chí Minh City
Vietnam
Vietnam U23
Individual
- Vietnamese Bronze Ball: 2021
- ASEAN Championship Top scorer: 2022[12]
- ASEAN Championship All-Star XI: 2022,[13] 2024[14]
- Vietnamese Silver Ball: 2022
- Vietnamese Golden Ball: 2024[15]
- V.League 1 Team of the Season: 2024–25
Orders
- Third-class Labor Order: 2025[16]