SINGAPORE: As Vietnam and Thailand prepare for one last battle to determine who will be crowned champions of the Asian Hyundai Cup 2026 in Hanoi on Wednesday night, individual accolades will also be at stake, most notably the prestigious Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The region’s most gifted players highly seek after the Hyundai MVP award, and past champions include legendary names such as Zainal Abidin Hassan of Malaysia, Thailand’s Kiatisuk Senamuang and Chanatip Songkrasin, Singapore’s Lionel Lewis and Noh Alam Shah, and most recently in 2024, Nguyễn Xuân Son of Vietnam.
Xuân Son, 29, is in the running again for the MVP award after standing out in this latest edition by scoring a joint tournament-high five goals. He has earned two Hyundai Player of the Match awards in the two semi-final legs against Malaysia, where he scored three goals. The powerfully built forward has taken 27 shots at goal, with 12 on target.
Compatriot Nguyễn Đình Bắc has also scored five goals and won two Hyundai Player of the Match awards as well in the matches against Timor-Leste, where he notched a hat-trick, and against Cambodia, where he scored a brace.
The 22-year-old has also contributed three assists, including a crucial assist in the first-leg final against Thailand to set up Nguyễn Hai Long for the team’s first goal.
Thailand’s Teerasak Poeiphimai, with four goals to his credit, is also a contender for the top individual award. He has taken 13 shots at goal with 6 on target and won one Hyundai Player of the Match award during the 5-0 win over Laos in the group stage.
Ilhan Fandi of Singapore and Malaysia’s Pavithran Gunalan were the other two players who have won two Hyundai Player of the Match awards as their teams bowed out in the semi-finals.
Đình Bắc, Xuân Son and Teerasak are also battling for the Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 Yanmar Top Goal Scorer award, where previous winners include Bambang Pamungkas of Indonesia, Noh Alam Shah of Singapore, Worrawoot Srimaka of Thailand, Malaysia’s Safee Sali and Vietnam’s Lê Huỳnh Đức.
The Best Goalkeeper award could be a two-way battle between the custodians featuring in the final, Patrik Lê Giang of Vietnam and Thailand’s Kampon Phatomakkakul.
Patrik, who is making his international debut for Vietnam, has made a total of 17 saves, the most in the tournament, and earned the Hyundai Player of the Match award in the first leg final after pulling off numerous stops to deny Thailand.
Vietnam have also conceded only one goal throughout the tournament, the least amongst the participating nations.
Kampon has also proven to be a safe pair of hands, pulling off 16 stops through seven matches, although he failed to prevent Vietnam from putting two goals past him in the first leg of the final in Bangkok last weekend.
The adidas Rising Star award may well be a tussle between the likes of Indonesia’s Mitch Baker, who scored four goals in his international debut, Malaysia’s Pavithran Gunalan and Thailand’s Yotsakon Burapha, who have all shone brightly during the month-long tournament which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
In addition to the individual awards that will be presented by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) following the conclusion of the final, fans can select their Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 Best XI picks from a shortlist of the tournament’s standout players. Voting is now open at https://aseanutdfc.com/asean-championship/all-stars/voting.
