Thai media: 'Dinh Bac has not proven much in Asia'

Thai media recently sparked a notable debate by comparing Vietnam's Nguyen Dinh Bac with Suphanat Mueanta, a star considered a major hope for Thai football in the future.

In an article titled "The Future of Thai and Vietnamese Football", the Baball Buriram page stated: "Suphanat Mueanta, 24 years old, currently plays in J.League 2 for Omiya Ardija and has had outstanding performances at the national team level.

He once scored against South Korea in World Cup qualifiers. Suphanat also won the Best Young Player of Southeast Asia award at the AFF Awards, was included in the Top 10 best young talents of ACL Elite for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, along with many other individual awards.

Nguyen Dinh Bac, 21 years old, currently plays for Hanoi Police FC in the V.League. At the national team level, his notable achievement is winning the gold medal at the SEA Games.

It seems that Suphanat has proven himself more, both at the club and national team levels. He has also shown impressive ability to shine on the Asian stage."

The Thai media's assessment quickly attracted the attention of regional fans. Although Suphanat has many achievements at the national team level as well as experience playing in Japan, the article by Baball Buriram seems to not fully reflect the outstanding achievements that Nguyen Dinh Bac has made in recent years.

At the club level, the striker born in 2004 contributed to Quang Nam winning the V.League 2 in 2023 before moving to Hanoi Police FC. At the police team, Dinh Bac helped the club win the 2024/25 National Cup, the 2025 Super Cup, and the 2025/26 V.League championship, while also reaching the final of the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship.

In the colors of Vietnam's youth teams, Dinh Bac has an impressive record with a gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games 33, the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia championship along with the Best Player award, and also won the 2026 U23 Asian top scorer with 4 goals, helping U23 Vietnam win third place in Asia.

At the national team level, the Hanoi Police striker made a name for himself by scoring against Japan at the 2023 Asian Cup. At the 2026 AFF Cup, Dinh Bac continued to be one of the standout players for Vietnam, scoring 5 goals and leading the top scorer list, helping Coach Kim Sang Sik's team top Group A and earn a spot in the semi-finals.

In addition to team honors, Dinh Bac also has many notable individual awards such as the Best Player of V.League 2 in 2023, Vietnam Silver Ball 2025, Best Young Player of Vietnam 2025, Best Player of U23 Southeast Asia 2025, and Top Scorer of U23 Asia 2026.

The Thai media's comparison of Dinh Bac with Suphanat shows that the young Vietnamese striker is receiving increasing attention in the region. Although each player has a different development path, both Dinh Bac and Suphanat are considered stars who can shape the future of Vietnamese and Thai football in the coming years.