Nguyen Thai Son suffered a serious injury just 17 minutes after making his debut for Ninh Binh FC in their 2-3 defeat to Hanoi Police FC in Round 12 of the V-League 2025-2026 on the evening of February 1st.

In the 67th minute, Ninh Binh lost possession 11win in midfield and were subjected to a counter-attack. Nguyen Thai Son dropped back to mark Leonardo Artur. As the Brazilian striker turned to the right, the visiting team's new signing used his right foot to brake and rotated in the direction of the opponent's movement, resulting in an injury.

The midfielder, born in 2003, clutched his leg and then sat down on the field. This was Thai Son's debut match for Ninh Binh after leaving his hometown team Thanh Hoa, and he was brought on by coach Albadalejo at the start of the second half. After three minutes of medical attention, he left the field and was replaced by Nguyen Le Phat.

The incident that led to Nguyen Thai Son's (in black shirt) knee ligament tear during Ninh Binh's 2-3 loss to Hanoi Police in Round 12 of the V-League 2025-2026, at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on February 1, 2026.

This morning, Thai Son was taken to the hospital for examination. The results showed that the midfielder from Thanh Hoa suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, requiring surgery and is expected to be out of action until the end of 2026.

Nguyen Thai Son suffered an injury just eight days after the end of his journey.AFC U23 Asian Championship 2026At the tournament in Saudi Arabia, he was Vietnam's second-highest-playing player, with 544 minutes across 6 matches - including two extra time games, second only to center-back Nguyen Nhat Minh, who played a full 600 minutes.

Thai Son became the second player to tear his ligaments, after Nguyen Hieu Minh. The 2004-born central defender also suffered a problem in his right knee during the 0-3 loss to China in the semi-finals on January 20th. Hieu Minh underwent successful surgery in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Thai Son (in black shirt) is carried off the field after the 2-3 defeat against Hanoi Police in Round 12 of the V-League 2025-2026, at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on February 1, 2026. Photo:Ninh Binh FC

Nguyen Thai Son, born in 2003, rose through the ranks of Thanh Hoa's youth academy. He joined the first team in 2022 and gradually secured a starting position. In the two most recent V-League seasons, Thai Son played in 49 out of 52 matches. This season, he continued to play 9 matches for Thanh Hoa before transferring to Ninh Binh.

See more: Casino 11win

At the national team level, Thai Son was highly valued by coach Philippe Troussier and consistently started from 2023. However, under coach Kim Sang-sik, he lost his starting position. It wasn't until the 33rd SEA Games that Thai Son gradually regained trust, especially in the 3-2 final victory against Thailand, thanks to his ability to create balance in attack and defense for the team.