Philippine Azkals: The Potential Skyrocketing Fame
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| Source:news.yahoo.com.ph/AP |
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| Source: news.yahoo.com.ph/AP |
For the past decade, the Philippine National Football Team ranked in between 150th and 160th in FIFA world rankings. This is still a utterly low ranking considering the third-world nature of the country and its misuse of funds to cater to the athletics sector. However, with this victory of the team against another third-world country which at least have enough funds to cater to their athletes, this would therefore be a wake-up call to the Filipino sporting community to urge for support by the local government.
In addition, the entire football team is a mix-up of the best and the brightest of football (or soccer, if you live in America) locally and abroad. For instance, American-born team captain Alexander "Aly" Borromeo has participated in the 2004 Tiger Cup and has won goals during the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship qualifiers and recently at the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. Iloilo-native co-captain Emelio "Chieffy" Caligdong is part of the Philippine Air Force football club and has teamed up and scored goals with Aly at the said qualifiers. London-born English-Filipino goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is a mainstay at the Fulham Football Club in Greater London, and is gaining media attention as he is expected to debut either at the English Premier League or the English Football League. Middlesex-native English-Filipino brothers Phil Younghusband and James Younghusband share successes both in the English football scene and the Asian football scene as well.
Aside from their sporting career, a few of the players enjoy themselves as commercial models. Phil Younghusband started early in his modelling career in late 2008 with his endorsements for a clothing line and a local pharmaceutical company. His elder brother James later followed with endorsements for local clothing brands. All others like Neil Etheridge and San Francisco-born Anton del Rosario later followed following their participation with the national team.
Just look at their recent commercial endorsements: a famous local brand of soy sauce and vinegar, and a brand of pain reliever.
It's not surprising that endorsements keep pouring in the team to be able to support them for their games. Many of the companies which products the Azkals are endorsing seem to drive massive support from them through the Filipino masses.
And a little note over there, with their exceptionally good looks (and, admit it, their sculpted body builts) in Pinoy standards, it's also not surpising enough that they are gaining fanatics, mostly women, in the actual scene and online. Fan blogs and Tumblr logs (and even gay blogs) in the Philippines praise these athletes for being "godlike," "squeaky clean," and "oh-so-yummy." These comments are also typical in the international football scene where fans shriek on David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo whenever they would take their shirts off and expose their bods.
Phil Younghusband, for instance, was the first of the team to be praised for his body and charming looks, during his first commercial stints in the Philippines. Now he is even linked with Filipina actress Angel Locsin. Thereafter his elder brother James followed, and was also equally praised following a recent endorsement with a Filipino clothing brand.
Aside from the "YH Brothers," as called by fans, other members of the teams are also endeared by the fans. Fil-Ams Aly Borromeo (the team captain) and Anton del Rosario are described to be the "rugged" and "tough-looking" of the team. Chieffy Caligdong is said to "keep his 'gorgeous' body in spite of being a daddy. (" The most endeared by far is 21-year-old Neil Etheridge. The Enfield Town-born goalkeeper is being described by fans as "sexy," yet keeping a "good-boy" image.
Speaking of Neil, this clip produced for ITV Sport describing the goalkeeper's commitment to Philippine football. On his decision to represent the Philippines, he states, to quote:
It took me a long time to decide. Obviously every boy's dream is to play for England at the highest level. But I thought, why not play for the Philippines? It's mum's side of the family as well. -Neil Etheridge, 2008While wanting to represent Fulham, having a Filipino, and therefore Asian, lineage, encouraged him to join in the ranks of his fellows like Phil Younghusband (a fellow at Chelsea FC who encourage him to enter the team, aside from his Filipina mother) and to improve the emerging status of football in the Pinoy scene.
So, while these towers of power are rising in fame, are they really living up to become an Azkal?
I like to hear from you, tell me how you feel about this emerging team at the comments section below!
Believe we can.
Cheers!
KENNETH
