“Never meet your heroes” is so yesterday.
The Filipinas have been making all the right moves in the past couple of years. Aside from breaking barriers, collecting Ws, and reaching milestone after milestone, the Philippine women’s national football team has also inspired countless young booters to keep on reaching their dreams. ‘Til now, they’re positive influence on the youth continues to grow, with every goal score and every accolade they acquire.
On Saturday, Filipinas goalkeeper Inna Palacios shared an Instagram Story from one Saraah Santos. It was a picture of Palacios and Philippine team captain Hali Long, who recently won the PFF women's title with FC-Iloilo, hanging out with a bunch of young footballers who are avid followers of the two football stars.
“The reason why we play,” Palacios wrote as a caption.
One of Santos’ daughters, Allegra was a huge Hali Long fan. The supportive mom then revealed that her kid asked to have the same hairstyle as Long and even changed her jersey number to five, in honor of her idol.
Santos, however, felt the need to clarify one thing.
“Promise, ‘di siya stalker, super fan lang,” the dedicated soccer mom wrote.
Allegra is already working hard to be like Long someday. She has been training regularly and has competed in the Bangkok International Supercup. Oh, and like Hali, young Allegra has also been named team captain.
Seeing all these, one can easily deduce how the Filipinas have greatly elevated the status of football in the Philippines. Not only did they, carve a significant space in the basketball-loving nation, they’re now slowly building a bright future for their sport.
The way it’s been going, Palacios, Long and the rest of the Filipinas aren’t about to slow down anytime soon.
(CF)