Know your Azkals: Neil Etheridge is in love
A lot of people love Neil Etheridge. The built, the face, the brawn, the athleticism â whatâs not to like? Since itâs Valentineâs Day, letâs flip the coin and find out what Neil loves. Neil loves football Obviously. Neil has been playing football since he started walking. Born in Anfield, he has played for Englandâs U-16 team. He started out in Chelsea Academy before getting scouted. At 15, he moved to Fulham where he was recently elevated to the first team. As prestigious as it is to play in the English Premier League, Neil says itâs also a wonderful if different experience playing for the Azkals. âFirst of all, the style is very different â the heat, the knowledge, the media. Plus when Iâm playing with the Azkals, you have the attention of the whole country. And I get to start every game," he says. And is there anything he doesnât like about football? âI never regret anything. But if I have a worst experience, it would have to be that first goal in Indonesia. I let that one go in. You just have to learn from it and move on." Neil loves his teammates Youâve probably heard of the bromance going on between him and Simon Greatwich, but Neilâs actually close friends with all the Azkals. Heâs even got his own cast of âEntourage" in the team â heâs Vince, Simon is E, Jason Sabio is Drama, while the role of Turtle is still up for grabs. Okay, so maybe heâs a teeny bit closer to Simon since they roomed together in Cambodia and in Bacolod. âTheir room is a garbage bin!" teammate Rob Gier shares. The rest of the team agree. Oh and Simon is now his unofficial manager. So if you want Neil for anything, suck up to Simon. Neil loves shopping Unlike majority of men who dread shopping, Neil claims that he is a âmassive shopper." Just before he left for the UK, he even went on a shopping spree at Nike. âMy style is very simple. I like fitted shirts. And I always wear black or white," he says. He loves fashion so much that he canât pinpoint a single clothing item he canât live without. Rob suggests gloves, while Simon says Neil doesnât have one because he likes being naked. After much thought and other âhelpful" ideas from the team, Neil says itâs black shirts. âI have about six black shirts. Theyâre my favorites. And I also canât live without my watch," he says. Neil loves his fans His supporters are among the craziest ones so far. In Bacolod, fans climbed balconies just to see him in his room. As creepy as it sounds, Neil doesnât mind. âThe attention is just great. It makes us feel very welcome," he says. And this isnât just some showbiz answer. Neil says that among the places heâs been to, his favorite would have to be Manila. âI seriously love Manila. It has this friendly atmosphere. There are so many things to do and itâs very affordable," he adds.