Playing with former LaLiga stars

Also written with Kael Suntay

Anthony: Playing with legends is rare.

Last week, Kael and I had that opportunity to take the pitch with two former LaLiga stars in Nacho Monreal and Luis Garcia at the Sparta Philippines.

We also were on the pitch with former Azkals like Misagh Bahadoran, James Younghusband and Anton del Rosario; as well as current national player Stephan Shrock; not to mention a few more professional footballers, so the quality of play was very high.

But amid all that talent, you could see that Nacho and Luis played at the highest level, as they still dominated on the pitch.

Kael: It was so surreal to be able to play with Luis and most especially Nacho, a player I had followed when I was younger and a player I patterned my game after at the fullback position.

I’ve had my fair share of seven- a-side pick-up games, but none of them were like this one. With a lot of local talent on the field and adding two world class players conducting each of their teams, the game was so easy.

Luis and Nacho knew exactly how to adjust in terms of how their teammates played. There was one instance for me wherein Luis gave me a nice through ball along the right wing of the pitch and I couldn’t run as quick due to wearing running shoes on turf (I haven’t played football in over a year so I don’t own a pair of turf shoes). 

Anthony with Luis.

Right after I missed the pass Luis signals to me, apologizing and asking if it were the shoes. I nod and he gives me a thumbs up that basically said, “I got you next time”. 

A few more plays go by and I’m open once again on the wing, Luis and I make eye contact and I immediately knew I was getting the ball. He plays it through to me, and the pass is perfect. It had weight to get past the defender but not too much that it would get past me. In fact, I didn’t even have to control the ball. The pass slowed down right as it got in front of me, giving me time to look up at the goal, see where the keeper was standing, and place it into the bottom left corner of the goal. I turn around and point at Luis acknowledging the great pass, and Luis points right back.

Kael with Nacho.

Aside from the time on the pitch, we also had a few minutes to chat.

How important is giving back to the sport to you?

Luis: We have been in Asia for about a week already, Bangkok, Vietnam and now the Philippines and we see a lot of passion! The people know about LaLiga, the teams, the players, and the sport. They need to keep receiving the broadcasts but also more academies and help improve the young talents. We heard that they are rebuilding a new ground which is important because the players need facilities to help improve their skills.

Javi: Asian people love football! They watch a lot of Laliga, and we see a lot of Asian players now in Europe. It has to continue. We need to develop more talents because they are the future and I’m happy working with LaLiga in this endeavor.

What would you say to the young aspiring footballers?

Nacho: First, is to have fun! The best advice is, in anything you do, you have to enjoy, have fun. Second, is to work hard. Football is not easy. You have to give 100% every single day training.

You have to be a better player than the day before. And last, never give up. In football, you will have a lot of ups and downs, bad moments, injuries, and you need to be focused and consistent, and if you are, you have more chances to be a professional player.

Luis: I agree! You need discipline. It’s not one day you do your workout and the following day you don’t. You also need a special routine, have a healthy life. But remember, have fun! You cannot have the pressure of being a professional, or be the best player if you are not enjoying.

Which player would you suggest kids watch?

Luis: I'm a Barcelona supporter, I play for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid so what I'm going to say, is not going to be liked by their supporters, but I think at the moment, one of the best that you can see, all around of the world because of the way he behaves, in and off the field, is Jude Bellingham.

I think he has impressed us all, he arrived to LaLiga as a big talent. He's only 20-years-old, coming from the Bundesliga. He moved from England when he was 16, so he matured early at his age. But definitely I think he is one of those players who every kid should watch.

He's a respectful player, the way he addresses the press, he respects his teammates, he respects the opponent, and the referees. You don't see him complain a lot to the referees. He's remarkable.

Second of all is the way he plays. He's a very intelligent player, he knows exactly what he's doing, he's football intelligence is magnificent, so technical.

But the best thing is that every decision he makes in the field is fantastic. He works hard, that's something you don't see very often in a young talent. Sometimes they just want to have the ball, but when they don't have the ball, they don't work.

Nacho: Agree! We have a Jude Bellingham. He's been a surprise for us. We knew he was a top-top player, but we didn't expect him with that performance. How he has played, how he understands football, his commitment in LaLiga, he has completely everything. He has been an amazing footballer.

Your thoughts on the current season?

Luis: LaLiga is more exciting than ever! Right now, Barcelona is struggling. Atletico Madrid is fighting for a place at the top, Girona is the surprise of the season. Real Sociedad is getting close to those positions, so it’s a very competitive season. Now it’s not all about the El Clasico, the derbies, it’s now about Girona against Granada, those kind of games are becoming more important and they deliver exciting football.

Nacho: The important thing is that this season is not only two teams. Girona is there, Real Sociedad is playing unbelievable football, there are four, five, six teams that makes LaLiga more interesting.

Players pose for posterity.