A FILIPINO FOOTBALL PLAYER named Paulino Alcantara carved a legacy when he played for FC Barcelona during the early 1900s.
From 1912 - 1927, Alcantara scored 395 goals for Barca, becoming a club legend and a trailblazer to other Barca greats like László Kubala, Johan Cruyff, Romario, Ronaldinho, and Lionel Messi.
And perhaps someone else could follow on Barca's legacy here in the Philippines especially with the club announcing their academy in Manila.
"The coming month of July will see the opening of the first Barça Academy in the Philippines, in Manila. The academy will be based in the capital and will welcome children who wish to learn how to play football the Barça way, with coaching staff well trained in the Club’s sporting philosophy," stated in Barca's website.
The Blaugrana organized a camp last November, which served as a litmus test for the org, and now with the official announcement of their academy, Barca is now going full force in their plans of honing the talent of Filipino football players.
Who will run the program?
They even introduced the individuals responsible for overseeing the academy, led by their technical director Joel Llinas, and sporting director Vincent Santos.
Llinas has a Masters in Sports Management and coached for six years in Europe and Asia.
Meanwhile Santos has a masteral in Management, Law, and Humanities of Sport under FIFA.
They'll be assisted by coaches Javier Dela Guardia, Roman Olivier, and Christian Romero, three UEFA Licensed coaches.
Playing under a prestigious football organization could be the stuff of dreams for many aspiring kids, so be sure to check out the academy's official website for more details.
Training happens every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM or from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM in ARCA South Football Field in Taguig.
The academy is open to boys and girls ages 6-17 years old.
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