Know your Azkals: What it took to get to know them

Girlfriend, media impostor, sister – these are some of the things people thought I was while interviewing the Azkals. You may have enjoyed discovering the quirks and peeves of our beloved football players, but it was no easy feat to get those stories. Between setting interviews and publishing the stories, here’s what happened as we got to know the Azkals. Simon Greatwich The first guy I wrote about was Simon Greatwich. The interview was held in our FTW studio at the GMA Network Center. I’ve never interviewed an English guy before but I had only a little difficulty understanding his accent. Thank god for my semi-obsession with the British monarchy. I guess the best bits of his stories come from his experiences with the Azkals, particularly Cambodia. There were times when he’d let housekeeping in when he knew his roommate Neil Etheridge was walking around naked inside. I can only picture the face of the housekeeper. Simon’s accent pretty much prepared me for my interview with his best bud Neil. Yes, dreamboat Neil. Neil Etheridge and Ian Araneta I watched leg one of the Challenge Cup against Mongolia only on TV. I had set an interview with Neil the weekend before, but I wasn’t sure if I’d actually be able to catch him once he gets to Manila. Besides, he was immediately returning to England the next day. That Thursday, I was getting my brain fried in Political Science class when he replied that we can meet at the airport. Right after class, I rushed to NAIA. I was secretly hoping that not a lot of fans would be there so it would be easier to talk to Neil. I made friends with the PFF staff while waiting for them and found out they needed to go to President Aquino for a courtesy call. Why did they need to go to Malacañang that soon? My interview was screwed. Good thing their team coordinator Ace Bright allowed me to hold the interview during their private team dinner at Melo’s, The Fort. Neil was still busy meeting with his sponsor so I grabbed the chance to interview Ian Araneta. Seated with us were Yanti Barsales and Chieffy Caligdong who turned out to be his uncle and cousin respectively. I must say, we got cool military men. At around 9p.m., Neil finally arrived with Simon and Jason Sabio. He pulled up a chair for me and we begun our five-hour late interview. The whole time, cameras from different stations were going around us. I later found out that I was on the news and on a certain sports show just because I was sitting with the Azkals.

I called my table the “Brit table" simply because Neil, Simon and Rob Gier were all seated with me. The way they ordered amaretto and Jagermeister was about the closest I could get to an English pub experience. I kind of pitied the waiter though as he had to repeatedly ask their orders to understand them. Later that night, I also met Coach Weiss whom I think is a cut different from your usual German. I thought he was cold and strict, so I was surprised when he turned out to be such a sweet guy. He was bidding Neil goodbye when he noticed me sitting beside him. “Oh, is she your girlfriend?" he asked Neil and turned to me. I was quick to reply no (I didn’t want to take advantage of the moment), and then Jason Sabio butted in “soon-to-be girlfriend!" We all laughed but come to think of it, that was a very cringe-worthy moment. Jason De Jong It was Valentine’s Day and being the single that I am, I was dateless. Around lunch time, I got a text from a very unexpected person saying that I could go to his house for our interview. Don’t get me wrong. Jason De Jong does give off that I-don’t-care-about-you vibe so I didn’t expect him to be an easy interviewee. I went to this pad in Makati which apparently houses the foreign Azkals when they’re here in Manila, even Simon McMenemy! Jason was very soft-spoken and that surprised me too. Well, only until I saw his left arm fully covered in tattoos. That’s the Jason I know. He had just gotten it over the weekend and he had to lotion it up every couple of hours. After the interview, we were saying our goodbyes and I happened to ask where he’s heading to (he was packing his bag). “Actually I was gonna ask you a favor. Can I ride with you out of the village?" he asked. I said sure, but sort of half-panicked when I remembered how unruly the car was. I just came from school so all my papers were just scattered in the backseat. I think my parents were starstruck when he came out of the house with me. He was after all just a bit short of being a celebrity now. We actually had a more interesting conversation in the car than in the formal interview. He was just talking about how Filipinos should play football more and how they get hurt when people say the Fil-foreigners are not Filipino. “Our moms are Filipino so I don’t get why people say we’re not Filipino!" he said emphatically. We agree with you Jason, we agree. And I definitely have no qualms not having a Valentine date if this is what I’ll be doing. Aly Borromeo When you’re captain of any sport, you’re probably the busiest. The same is true for Aly who was juggling tons of events, practices and press duties for the Azkals. For some reason, he didn’t have a ride on the morning of their first meet-and-greet mall tour. The day before, he asked if I could pick him up at home and we’d go to SM Sta. Mesa together. In my mind I was thinking, “Wow seryoso bang nagpapasundo siya sa ’kin?" I’m not sure if he even knew I was a girl. I eventually said yes – I had to get that story after all. I even tweeted that “kung ganito lagi ang susunduin, I wouldn’t mind being a school bus driver." SM Sta. Mesa is probably one of the plainest malls I’ve ever seen. They didn’t even have a single coffee shop! Aly and I were thinking where we could hold our interview. His first choice was McDonald's but realized it was too public. We ended up in a bakeshop in the mall’s far corner. It was pretty far from the crowded areas of the mall but for some reason, one girl still recognized Aly. He wasn’t even wearing his jersey yet and was only in a plain white shirt. She just greeted Aly and left. But after a few minutes, lo and behold: she came back with her bunch of friends to take a photo with Aly. I offered to take their photo but they insisted on including me in the shot. They were making me pose beside Aly. Oh, I already knew what they were thinking. Fast forward to the actual meet-and-greet. When Aly and I arrived at the restaurant, there were lots of fans already lined up. The staff members of the Azkals were offering me lunch but I couldn’t stay any longer so I declined. “Nahiya ka pa, part ka na ng team," said one of them. Aww, that really made me smile. James and Phil Younghusband As much as I don’t want to put them together, James and Phil are too busy to be caught apart from each other. I set up an interview with them during their football camp for public school teachers at The Fort. I got lost going around Navy Village which is apparently almost an entire city dedicated to our army. When I got to the stadium, I was even mistaken as a random person taking photos on the field. The organizers didn’t believe I was from GMA at first because I didn’t have a media pass. The things I have to go through for the Younghusbands. Everything paid off though when I finally got to talk to them. We even chatted about my hometown Malabon, which is also their mom’s hometown. They both remember a lot of things about it, especially the Pancit Malabon. And I must say, that British accent is really something. Anton Del Rosario Anton was the last among the starters I interviewed. In all honesty, I had a hard time finding new angles for the story. They’re from the same team and have the same experiences after all. I kept on hearing about being underdogs, winning over Vietnam, and the state of football in the Philippines that I think I have mastered it enough to write a dissertation. When Anton walked inside the coffee shop with his French-Filipina girlfriend, you would honestly think you landed on an episode of The Hills (yes, that was the lead too). Since his girlfriend Laetitia was there already, I asked how long they have been together. “Well we got together on the third. Today! This day 14 months ago!" he blurted. I was so embarrassed because I was apparently barging in on their monthsary date. After the whole thing, I took Anton’s photo. Laetitia declined to be photographed as she wanted to keep a low profile. “She really doesn’t want to be seen with me. I don’t know why," Anton joked before they left. As they stepped out the coffee shop, I noticed lots of people staring at Anton. That’s when it finally hit me. These people I’ve been interviewing are not just anybody. The Azkals have become a new kind of Philippine hero and celebrity. After meeting them though, I saw that they're not just football machines that you put on the pitch to play and send to malls to sign autographs. They have stories. They have likes and quirks. Sometimes, they just want to go about the day without being hounded by fans asking for pictures. And even sans the good looks and popularity, I wouldn’t mind being affiliated (or mistakenly affiliated, preferably as a girlfriend) with the Azkals. -- OMG, GMA News