In a recently published article on the tournament’s official website, 33-year-old Anh Duc is listed as one of the potential candidates for the award, alongside six others including Adisak Krasorn (Thailand), Chan Vathanaka (Cambodia), Phil Young Husband (Philippines), Alberto Goncalves (Indonesia), Sawafi Rassid (Malaysia), and Aung Thu (Myanmar).
Describing the Vietnamese striker, the article said that “likely to be the main option up front in a Vietnamese side that’s tipped as amongst the tournament favourites, Nguyen Anh Duc will certainly have the chance to make his mark in the race for the Golden Boot.”
The author hailed the experience in choosing favourable positions on the field and acumen in front of goal as the strong points of Anh Duc.
“At 33, the powerful forward is easily the elder statesman in a youthful Golden Stars side but has the positional awareness and touch in front of goal to capitalise on what should be a steady stream of service coming his way from the creative Vietnamese midfield.”
The AFF’s choice in favour of Anh Duc comes as a small surprise to domestic fans and experts as the 33-year-old forward is sitting third in the scoring charts of Vietnamese teams under the dynasty of coach Park Hang-seo, behind talented youngsters Nguyen Cong Phuong and Nguyen Quang Hai, who have each scored nine.
