Xuan Son’s injury ‘more serious than initially reported’

On the afternoon of January 6, Xuan Son was taken by ambulance from Noi Bai Airport to Vinmec Hospital (Hanoi), after the flight with the Vietnamese team back home. Professor Tran Trung Dung, Director of the Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, examined Xuan Son, removed the old bandage and splint and received first aid from a doctor in Thailand to check for damage.

As a result of the doppler ultrasound and scan, the doctor assessed that Son’s fracture was quite complicated, “more serious than initially noted.” Accordingly, Xuan Son suffered a complex closed fracture of 1/3 between the body of the two lower leg bones, with a large fragment. A closed fracture is an internal fracture but there is no open wound or bleeding on the skin.

“We consulted with Thai medical colleagues through diagnostic images. Currently, the actual X-ray line of the bone fracture is longer,” Dr. Dung said, adding that doctors at the Medical Center Vinmec Sports decided on a closed bone fusion surgery method using intramedullary nails with pins under a light-enhancing screen.

This is a minimally invasive surgical solution that minimizes soft tissue damage and ensures quick recovery. The surgery is expected to last one hour, after which Xuan Son will be transferred to the intensive care area to monitor and evaluate his condition.

The results of the surgery are not available yet.

Before going into surgery, Xuan Son wanted to meet his wife – Marcele Seippel. The wife encouraged her husband and expressed her trust in Vietnamese doctors, hoping the surgery would be successful and Xuan Son would soon return to football.

Xuan Son was injured in the ASEAN Cup final match at Rajamangala Stadium, Thailand on the evening of January 5, when he dribbled the ball and tried to lean forward to pass into the Thai penalty area. His right leg swept strongly against the ground. After a few minutes of first aid on the field, the Vietnamese striker was put on an ambulance and transported to the hospital in Bangkok. Initial examination and scan results determined that Son had a fractured fibula and tibia in his right leg.

Xuan Son, whose Brazilian name is Rafaelson, was born in 1997 and received Vietnamese citizenship in September. He became the first naturalized player of non-Vietnamese origin to be called up to the national team since 2009.