Players of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team took to social media to express their pride in the country’s campaign in the recent 2024 ASEAN Championship (Mitsubishi Electric Cup).
Forward Alex Monis emphasized on the importance of the team’s run to the semis.
“This one will hurt for some time but there is so much to be proud of. Together we made history. But most importantly, football in the Philippines feels alive again,” Monis wrote in the caption of his post on Thursday.
“Thanks to all the Filipino people that have supported us throughout this journey. Your positive energy doesn’t go unnoticed and it kept us going until the very end.”
Goalkeeper Quincy Kameraad, meanwhile, said it was one of the best experiences he had.
“The brotherhood this group has built together is more than just a team, it’s a family. A family that will do the hard work for each other and for the flag. This is a team that will sacrifice everything for all Filipinos,” Kameraad wrote in his Instagram post on Tuesday.
“We’ll be back, stronger and ready to climb the hills faster.”
Jarvey Gayoso also touched on the historic run as he capped a memorable year for him personally.
“This year has been a blessing and one I will always cherish,” Gayoso said while talking about his championship with Kaya FC, signing a contract abroad, and getting married and being a father soon.
He also talked about “making history for the country and contributing to what I believe is the resurgence of the national team.”
Bjorn Kristensen, who had three goals for PMNFT during the ASEAN tourney, simply said he was “Proud.”
Head coach Albert Capellas, meanwhile, hopes more Filipinos will support the sport and the team.
“I hope all the Filipinos are proud and that they enjoyed [the efforts of] our squad. They fought a lot. And I hope we get the support from the federation, the government, and from people who love football, to help us grow football in the Philippines, so we’ll have more games like this,” he said in the post-match conference last Monday.
“Thank you very much to all the Filipinos, not only in the Philippines, but around the world. Now we have to move to the next level. We have to have a more powerful league. We have to develop the youth football. We need to invest, and we will come back stronger. We will work very hard to make it happen.”
The Philippines reached the semis after three 1-1 draws against Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, and a 1-0 win against Indonesia. The team also made history by defeating Thailand in the first leg of the semis, 2-1, but fell short in the second leg, 3-1, to lose 4-3 on aggregate.
—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News
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