A Century of Paulino Alcántara
 |
| A hundred years on, his face still binds in the consciousness of Barcelona, and now lives in the new generation of Pinoy football players and fanatics. |
Twenty-six years ago, the Filipino people united together in EDSA to peacefully put an end to a regime that has put the Philippines in chains for three decades.
But there was an event that was long ignored by Filipinos in the sporting world.
A hundred years ago, a Filipino made an impact to the nation as the youngest player to debut in one of the world's most prestigious football clubs. His name: Paulino Alcántara.
He was born in Iloilo in October 7, 1896, to a Spanish father and a Filipina mother. Although he is a mestizo, a mixed-breed like a handful of players of the current Philippine national team, fondly called the Azkals, he wasn't muscular, tall or uniquely good-looking. Alcántara looks like the average Pinoy: a lanky build, an average height of 5'7", and an appearance of an ordinary citizen of the time. Despite his average appearance, it compensated for his excellent skills in handling and shooting the ball.
 |
| Modern legend Lionel Messi of Argentina still couldn't challenge Alcantara's record. |
Barça's stunning success in the early times of professional football was attributed to the wonder kid. His records with Barça is still unbeaten by anyone, even with the modern day's most revered living football legend Lionel Messi. He is the youngest to debut for the club's first team at the age of 15, and the player with the most number of goals, scoring at least a goal each during his 357 appearances.
In the international scene, Alcántara capped for the national teams of Catalonia, Spain and the Philippines. Although there have been other footballers who featured themselves in European clubs at that time like Manuel Amachezurra and Eduardo Teus, only Alcántara was able to go back to his country of birth to represent it in international matches. During his stint with Las Islas Filipinas, he led the scoring in the 15-2 win against the Japanese national team during the 1917 Far Eastern Championship (the precursor of the Asian Games) in Tokyo, the biggest win for the Philippines up to this day. It was reported to be an embarrasment for the home team, and the loss was so intense, some of the Japanese players committed suicide through hara-kiri. During his stint with Spain, he is attributed for scoring a goal that not only found the back of the net, but also breaking it in the process, earning him the nicknames El Rompe Redes, Trencaxarxes, the Net-breaker.
 |
| El Rompe Redes |
On July 5, 1927, at 31 years of age, he retired from playing football to pursue his medical career. In his honour, a testimonial match between Barça and the Spanish national team was held to dedicate to the legend whose unchallenged record was simply a sight to behold.
In the decades that followed, however, his memory and legacy faded in the consciousness of Filipinos as they become endeared to basketball, a sport that spread across the country due to the American influence. Unfortunately, the sport did not love them back, as it brought undesirable results through the years, just because the Filipino did not have the physical attributes to compete in a sport that prefers height. And during football's most prestigious event, the FIFA World Cup, Filipinos are more glued watching the NBA Finals (which happens to coincide with the tournament) than the Cup competition, which is more watched worldwide .
Here, a few Filipinos have realized that there is something wrong. Football should have been part of the Filipino consciousness. It should have been part of the Filipino sporting culture, which has degraded since basketball arrived. It should have made the country prosper.
Until the Azkals burst into the scene.
That miracle in Hanoi in 2010 brought back what was lost in the Filipino - the love for football and support for sport. With football back to the consciouness of the masses, it raised questions if, indeed, the Philippines had a history of the sport, and if there was a legend that brought a lasting foundation during those years. And they were brought back to Paulino Alcántara.
 |
| The Azkals brought Alcantara's memory back to Filipinos. |
When Alcántara's memory faded away, it led the Philippines into the pit of the football arena. It lost its spark and glory. It lost its luster and prestige. And the national team became known as the Azkals, asong kalye, street dogs. Stray dogs searching for scraps. Men struggling to make a living. Footballers trying to bring honour to the nation at their own expense, only to be ignored, stepped on and being laughed upon. It became painful. Now that it has being brought to an end, Alcántara's legacy lives on to the new generation of Pinoy footballers who pursue a greatness that has long lost since the days of El Rompe Redes.
His memory still lives strong in Barcelona. He is still revered as a Barça legend, wonder kid and trailblazer. His memory still lived in the minds of a few Filipinos who dreamed of a day that the sport would be able to return to the nation, to be able to bring back pride and honour once lost. And it did, and no other way was possible to rekindle the passion back again than to introduce fellow Filipinos to the man named Paulino Alcántara.
So if someone tells you that the Filipino doesn't have a history in football, tell them about this man.
Mabuhay ka, Señor Alcántara!
KENNETH
