PHIL Younghusband paid tribute to his recently-retired older brother James Younghusband for his contributions to Philippine football.
Phil said James' impact on Philippine football mostly went unnoticed. The younger Younghusband mentioned his brother’s late equalizer against Laos, 2-2, in the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers in 2010 that allowed the Philippines to make it to the main tournament for the first time.
That appearance in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup sparked the football renaissance in the country with Phil Younghusband striking the Azkals’ second goal to blank host Vietnam in the match that is being called as the ‘Miracle in Hanoi.’
“I think a lot of James’ milestones went under the radar. The goal against Laos, the equalizer, a lot of things that wouldn’t have happened in Philippine football had not been for my brother,” Phil said during the CPT Crossover podcast.
James announced his retirement several months after Phil also decided to call it a career. Phil said he enjoyed his time watching his brother as a spectator and not as a teammate.
“I’ve always been side-by-side with James whether on the pitch or watching him from the bench. But to watch him from the stands, it was nice to see him from afar and how much he contributes to the game, his energy and his passion for Philippine football. It was nice to sit back and enjoy it. I’m sad that it came to an abrupt ending,” said Phil.
James Younghusband said he felt it was the right time to retire from football, following a long list of accomplishments in his career in the Philippines.
Younghusband said he has been planning to retire already, targeting to finish the 2020 season before coming out with a decision. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Younghusband decided now is the time to retire.
“Originally, my plan is to finish the year with Ceres with the whole 2020 season. But with the recent pandemic and the situation, football put on hold especially here, I felt it was time to announce. I decided to end it earlier,” Younghusband told the same podcast.
Younghusband said playing for the Azkals in the AFC Asian Cup, winning the Philippines Football League and the Copa Paulino Alcantara for Ceres Negros FC, and playing in the AFC Cup for the Busmen were a perfect cap to a career.
“Winning the double last year and getting a chance to play in the AFC and in the AFC Cup, it felt it was a nice way to end it. But of course, it would have been nice to finish the year,” said Younghusband.
Younghusband now looks forward to coaching.
“During this time, you have a lot of time to think and evaluate yourself in your life. My brother has gone to another chapter and starting a family. I felt like there are other things in life that I want to experience.”
“It’s a new chapter. It’s now time where I want to start pursuing a possibility in coaching and learning about coaching. I’d like to travel as well to different countries and different cultures and different philosophies,” said Younghusband.
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