Mr. Football is living a football dream in a country where most of the people do not play the sport. Now, not only does he excel in football by leading his country, Philippines as the captain, he is also introducing football to the rest of the younger generation! 4-times United Football League (UFL) Titles & Cups, twice Philippines Sportswriter Association Mr. Football title, National Men’s Club Golden Boots Award, 48 caps for Philippines National Team, Mr. Football… Emelio “Chieffy Caligdong!
JPF: Was it tough to grow up in your country with a football dream where most of your country mates play basketball?
EC: Yes, you are right; basketball is the number1 sport in the Philippines. Although football is the number1 sport in the world, it is definitely not easy for football to take over basketball in the Philippines. We are trying our best to bring in the new sport and we are happy that more sponsors are coming in to help to develop Philippines’ football. Personally, I am also happy that I can be part of Philippines’ National Team contributing to the development of the new sports here.
JPF: You are considered as one of the most well-known footballers in Philippines, was there exceptional pressure on you especially since you are a pure Filipino in a multinational National Team?
EC: No pressure as I just do my very best for my country. In fact, what we are going through (with the team) now was what Singapore went through many years back. We have many talented Filipino players in the league but as there are many outstanding foreigners some of whom eventually took up Philippines’ citizenship, available slots in the National Team becomes limited. Overall, it is still a positive impact to Philippines football.
Photo: cms.interaksyon.com
JPF: In your own opinion, why is Philippines not ranked among the best in South-East Asia yet?
EC: That’s a very good question. Football is still considered a new sport in the Philippines. We are new and still in the process of building the sport and the team in the country. However, I think one of the reasons is that we do not have enough local players coming through into the team. Most of the foreign players we got from abroad left the team after 3 to 5 years. That prompts us to keep changing the team and line-up which is not good for the team. That’s the reason why we are trying very hard to scout for more local players from the provinces to the cities.
JPF: Tell us about your team, Green Archers Utd and United Football League (UFL)?
EC: I think that our league is pretty competitive and interesting as compared to 3 years ago when we first started off. More sponsors are coming in and more quality foreign players have been signed on. Green Archers Utd is a new team and currently in the 6th position of UFL. Green Archers Utd is a team with speedy wingers but unfortunately we do not normally play at a big field where this speedy playing style can be used. Moreover, we have recently switched from playing on a grass pitch to astro-turf pitch. This is something which the team will have to take time to adapt to.
JPF: You were the proud winner of Philippines Sportswriters Association’s “Mr Football” title for two consecutive years (2012 & 2013), how do you feel about the accolade?
EC: I am happy for sure especially after winning it twice in a row. It’s encouraging and especially when there are many other good players around. I just hope that with this award, I can be a good role model for all the young players in Philippines. And I also hope that this award of mine can inspire more young Filipino players to come forward to play football.
JPF: You have played and scored against Singapore, what do you think of Singapore football?
EC: Singapore is really an unpredictable team! We beat them twice in the friendlies last year and Singapore went on to become ASEAN champion! Of course, Singapore is a good team! Singapore has players who have enough experience in the team to move forward. For S.League, I know Younghusbands’ Loyola Meralco Sparks participated in the Singapore Cup. We do have S.League football coverage on TV too – I do watch it!
JPF: How bitter was that semi-final lost to Singapore during the last AFF Suzuki Cup last year?
EC: Hahaha… Indeed, it was bitter. Our target was to be in the final but in the semi-final against Singapore we were over-confident. We thought that we had beaten Singapore twice before, but Singapore played well and scored some early goals which really frustrated us. It was a well learnt lesson!
JPF: Which Singapore player leaves you with the deepest impression?
EC: Singapore’s number 17, Shahril Ishak. He’s good. I could always hear him communicating with his team, always encouraging them in the game.
JPF: Which is the footballer whom you want to play against and exchange jersey with after the game? Why?
EC: Real Madrid. Real Madrid is a big European team and it’s always a dream to play against a big team. And for exchange of jerseys, no Ronaldo! Haha… probably Karim Benzema!
Photo: images.gmanews.tv
JPF: What do you think you would be doing if you are no longer playing football?
EC: Coaching. Probably in another 5 years time, I will do coaching full-time.
JPF: Final advice for aspiring young players who want to be professional footballers?
EC: Playing football is good but you cannot neglect academics. You have to balance playing football and education. That also means discipline. If you want to be a good player, other than skills, you must also have discipline to look after your diet, ensure that you have sufficient resting time and to work hard during training. Lastly, believe in yourself – Do not be discouraged when you see others doing better than you. Tell yourself you can do it, work hard and be better than them! Disciplined hard work will eventually pay off!
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