Vietnam’s star striker Nguyen Tien Linh celebrated his team’s triumph at the ASEAN Cup 2024, but his gold medal turned heads when fans noticed it bore the inscription “Runners-up” instead of “Champion.”
After Vietnam’s thrilling 3-2 win over Thailand in the second leg of the final on January 5, the team was awarded 37 gold medals during the victory ceremony at Rajamangala Stadium. Tien Linh, like his teammates, initially accepted his medal without noticing the error. However, when he posted a photo of himself wearing the medal next to the championship trophy in the locker room, fans spotted the unusual inscription.
The medal bore the text “Runners-up” instead of “Champion” in English. Tien Linh later verified the mistake and reported it to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), requesting assistance in contacting the tournament organizers to rectify the issue.
The ASEAN Cup 2024 gold medal features a golden outer ring, a red circle inscribed with the words “Champion,” and two stars representing past victories. The center displays the tournament trophy and logo. This design is distinctly different from the silver medals for runners-up, which have a different color scheme.
Interestingly, Tien Linh was the only Vietnamese player to receive a mislabeled medal, which surprised the team given the standardized production process for such items.
Tien Linh is one of only five players to have won the ASEAN Cup twice, alongside teammates Bui Tien Dung, Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Quang Hai, and Nguyen Van Toan. His performance at this year’s tournament was instrumental in Vietnam’s success.
The 28-year-old striker scored four goals, including two penalties in the semi-finals against Singapore and goals in group-stage wins over Laos (4-1) and Myanmar (5-0). This brought his total to 13 goals in the ASEAN Cup, tying him for sixth on the tournament’s all-time scoring list with Thai striker Adisak Kraisorn and Indonesian legend Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto. Among Vietnamese players, he now trails only Le Huynh Duc (14 goals) and Le Cong Vinh (15 goals).
At the professional level, Tien Linh has scored 99 goals, comprising 74 for his club Bình Dương across 200 matches and 25 for the Vietnam national team in 59 appearances. His tally for the national team places him third in Vietnam’s all-time scoring chart, behind Huynh Duc (25 goals) and Cong Vinh (51 goals).
As of now, the VFF is working with tournament organizers to replace Tien Linh’s mislabeled medal with the correct version. Despite the minor hiccup, Tien Linh’s focus remains on his remarkable achievements and contributions to Vietnam’s football legacy. Fans eagerly await his 100th professional goal, a milestone that could come in his next appearance.
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