When are we going to have a team playing at the FIFA World Cup? Probably not in a very very long time. Despite the fact that we obviously lack in height, our number one sport is basketball. Every barangay in the country may not have a health center but they surely have a basketball court. While the rest of the world is going gaga over Football, the sport has never gained such loyal followers as basketball.
However, we in Western Visayas are the “enlightened ones“ in terms of football. Iloilo is considered as the country’s football capital because most of the national players come from the province. The sport also has a wide following in Negros Occidental especially since the football event of the 2005 SEA Games was held in Bacolod City.
It is not surprising then that the Ilonggos has given the world one of its best players in the person of Paulino Alcantara (1896-1964). Born in Iloilo of Filipino-Spanish descent, Alcantara was the first Filipino and Asian to play for a European club. He played for FC Barcelona at the age of 15 and remains the youngest player to play or score for the club. He remains the highest goal scorer in the club’s history with 357 goals in 357 games.
He has played both for the Philippines and Spain. Although his stint for the Philippines is quite short. He played for the country in 1917 in the Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo and he helped the country win against Japan (15-2). Japan was devastated and it was the Philippines’ biggest win in international football. What’s even admirable with Alcantara was that he gave up a lucrative career in Football to become a doctor.
Unlike basketball, height in playing football is not as important. It could be an advantage like in the case of Alcantara who has Spanish blood, but the lack of a few inches will not be detrimental to your game.
We could still have hopes for a team the the World Cup. Let’s draw inspiration from the Philippines Street Child World Cup team who competed in the 2010 Street Child World Cup and won against Football powerhouse teams. Given the right training and support, we can hope that someday, we will be rooting for our own national team at the FIFA World Cup.
image credit: FC Barcelona
