NEIL Etheridge has not retired from the Philippine men’s national football team - and the only reason he has not recently been part of it is simply because he has yet to be called up again.
The 35-year-old Etheridge last played for the Philippines during the November 2023 window when the then-Azkals played in the joint FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.
The Buriram United goalkeeper, who recently helped his club reach the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite, said the door remains very open to him playing for the national team since he hasn't retired from international football.
“I don’t want to talk too much about it, to be honest. The answer is I’m not retired. I’m still playing obviously. I’m here in Thailand. I’m not retired,” answered Etheridge when asked about his desire to play for the national team.
READ: Etheridge helps Buriram United make AFC Champions League history
Etheridge said he hasn’t been contacted yet by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) about joining the squad over the past years, and his most recent communication with officials was after the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup last year when he congratulated director of national teams Freddy Gonzalez for reaching the semifinals.
Etheridge is not part of the squad that will see action for the March FIFA window where the Philippines will face Maldives in an AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers match on March 25 at the New Clark City Stadium
“I wasn’t invited. The squad list is up, so I wasn’t there… The squad list is apparent for everyone to see. My name is not on the list,” said the Buriram United goalkeeper.
Serving as an analogy to indicate that he will play if called upon, Etheridge cited how Patrick Reichelt recently announced his retirement from the national team, doing so in an Instagram post during the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
“A good friend of mine, Patrick Reichelt, recently retired from international football and he got a lot of applauding in his Instagram posts and social media posts announcing his retirement. I’ve seen him since and spoken to him since and I’m happy that he’s made that decision for him and his family moving forward,” he said
“You haven’t seen a post like that from me.”
Neil knows
Despite not being on the team, Etheridge has been closely monitoring the nationals, saying he watched the Philippines’ historic performance in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup last year. He is also teammates with national squad defender Jefferson Tabinas at Buriram United.
Etheridge also gave his flowers to his teammates especially fellow goalkeeper Quincy Kaameraad, who had a solid showing during the ASEAN Cup.
“I think it’s great to see these guys doing well. I’ve worked with them previously. Seeing Patrick [Deyto] start the campaign and do very well in the start of the campaign and, unfortunately, getting injured going into the later stages of the competition," he said.
"And Quincy, who I've worked with previously before, who I guess on international level, he’s slightly an unknown. And watching the games he came in, he fit in really well. I think he came in and he played his part, making some good saves, some good decisions. His distribution was very good.”
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