2025 Ballon d'Or: Dinh Bac dominates Hoang Duc in the title race.
With a gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games, a series of domestic cups with CAHN Club, and consistent performance in all competitions, Nguyen Dinh Bac is proving to be superior to his direct competitors.
The race for the 2025 Vietnamese Golden Ball award is showing a clear advantage for Nguyen Dinh Bac, as the young striker possesses an impressive collection of titles and maintains top form throughout, leaving competitors like Nguyen Hoang Duc far behind.
Clearly define performance targets for 2025.
To accurately assess the candidates, it's necessary to clarify the scope of achievements counted for the 2025 award. The 2024 AFF Cup championship, although the trophy will be awarded in early 2025, already belongs to the 2024 voting period, where Hoang Duc won the Silver Ball. When this factor is removed, the picture of the 2025 race becomes clearer with the strong emergence of Dinh Bac.
A breakout year for Nguyen Dinh Bac
2025 witnessed Nguyen Dinh Bac's remarkable growth at all levels. In youth competitions, he was a key player in helping Vietnam successfully defend their U23 Southeast Asian Championship title and, more importantly, win the prestigious Gold Medal at the 33rd SEA Games. His role and influence in these successes were highly valued.
At the club level, Dinh Bac continues to be the driving force of Hanoi Police FC (CAHN) on its journey to conquer titles:
- National Cup Champion
- Third Division V.League
- Runner-up in the Southeast Asian Club Championship
In particular, Dinh Bac made a strong personal mark by scoring the decisive goal in the National Super Cup and playing a major role in helping his team advance through the group stage of the AFC Cup. His consistent performance and ability to shine at crucial moments are his biggest strengths.
Competitors and stagnation
Compared to Dinh Bac's breakout year, other strong contenders had a relatively quiet one. Hoang Duc and The Cong-Viettel Club only won the First Division championship and did not score any goals for the national team.
Similarly, Nguyen Tien Linh and Nguyen Quang Hai also failed to make a major breakthrough. Each only scored one goal for the national team during the year. While Tien Linh had a trophyless season, Quang Hai, despite his success with his club, lacked a standout individual impact at the national team level.
The key difference lies in Dinh Bac's consistent high performance and influence in every tournament he participates in, both domestically and internationally. With his impressive achievements and convincing performances, he is the strongest candidate for the most prestigious individual award in Vietnamese football in 2025.
