Dinh Bac makes history as first Vietnamese top goalscorer at AFC U23 Asian Cup

Ahead of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup final, the striker had already scored four goals, a tally matched by Ali Azaizeh of Jordan and Leonardo Farah Shahin of Lebanon.

However, both rivals were eliminated earlier and no longer had a chance to add to their totals.

The remaining competitors came from Japan’s U23 team, who played the final on Saturday evening.

The Japanese team featured Ryunosuka Sato, who had three goals, and Yuto Ozeki, who had scored twice before the decisive match.

In the final, both Japanese players found the net.

Ozeki opened the scoring to bring his tally to three goals, while Sato converted a penalty to reach four.

Both players were later substituted and were unable to score again.

As a result, four players finished the tournament with four goals each.

Despite this, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that Dinh Bac alone was awarded the Top Goalscorer title.

The decision was believed to have been based on secondary criteria.

Dinh Bac registered two assists during the tournament and also logged fewer minutes on the pitch due to injury setbacks.

These factors may have given him the edge over the other contenders.

The accolade is a well-deserved reward for Dinh Bac, a resident of Nghe An Province, who now stands alone as the first Vietnamese footballer to claim the Top Goalscorer honor at the AFC U23 Asian Cup.

Previously, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai came closest to achieving the feat in 2018, scoring five goals but finishing behind Qatar’s Almoez Ali, who netted six.

Dinh Bac is also not the first player from Southeast Asia to win the award.

That distinction belongs to Thailand’s Jaroensak Wonggorn, who secured the Top Goalscorer title with three goals at the 2020 tournament.