Vietnam’s Dinh Bac sets record with multiple individual awards at AFC U23 Asian Cup

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on Saturday that Bac’s spectacular back-header goal against the United Arab Emirates was voted the Most Impressive Goal of the Tournament, beating five other nominees.

Earlier, his strike against Saudi Arabia earned him the same honor for the group stage.

With these two awards, plus the Most Impressive Player of the Tournament title announced on Friday, Bac swept all three fan-voted categories available.

Beyond fan voting, Bac collected three additional individual honors at the U23 Asian Cup.

He was named Man of the Match twice, after Vietnam’s 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia and the 3-2 win over the United Arab Emirates. These awards were selected by the tournament’s organizing committee.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Bac also claimed the Top Scorer award, finishing with four goals and two assists.

He tied Japan’s Ryunosuke Sato in statistics but won due to higher efficiency, playing fewer minutes.

In total, Bac earned six individual awards at this year’s tournament in Saudi Arabia, including three from fans, two from organizers, and one based on performance statistics.

According to AFC data, this is a record number of individual honors in a single U23 Asian Cup.

Even at senior national team tournaments, no player has achieved such a haul.

Regional media expressed astonishment at Bac’s dominance.

Indonesia’s Bola newspaper wrote: “Nguyen Dinh Bac’s performance created a sensation at the U23 Asian Cup, delivering brilliance from one match to the next.”