Azkals Angel Guirado on Football, Showbiz and Sexy Billboards

By ANNIE S. ALEJO

MANILA, Philippines – When Bulletin Entertainment asked Azkals Filipino-Spanish player Angel (pronounced Anghel) Guirado what he thought about some members of the Philippine Volcanoes appearing in their underwear for a local clothing brand’s billboard campaign, he replied—as translated by his manager, Rafael Garcia—with a smile, “No problem.”

Though nonchalant about it, he did have a different view with regards to billboards being removed. “If it’s bad for the eyes of the children, he himself would want it down, because he’s very conservative,” Garcia interpreted.

In fact, even when the billboards in question were said to be part of an effort to promote the sport of rugby in the country, Guirado asserted, “Still, if it’s bad for children… especially billboards [that are very visible], he would not want to do something like that.”

Guirado was presented to the media via a press conference at the Dusit Thani Manila hotel on July 11, in line with him signing up with PR Asia, the same company behind the recent successful campaign for a local clothing brand that featured Hollywood celebrity Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”).

Naturally, Guirado’s association with the international PR firm is expected to yield possible future endorsement deals and sponsorships for him.

But for future projects, Guirado hopes to find those that would be good for him “as an athlete, as a football player. Although whatever comes, he’s open,” Garcia noted.

The Azkals are hot property these days, despite a negative issue that broke out recently, but not everyone on the team is happy to be hogging showbiz headlines. In fact, when asked if he has considered joining showbiz, the 6’3” rugged-looking Guirado only smiles and says he has no plans to do so.

Guirado’s relatives, who had joined the gathering, also expressed their opposition by loudly exclaiming “No!” several times from their table while the athlete was being interviewed.

According to Garcia, Guirado responded, “Right now, he wants to focus on football…”

“He may play in the Philippines, outside the Philippines… so he’s just waiting. There are offers for him to play in Manila. There are other countries taking a look at him right now. So the game against Kuwait—both legs—will be vital to his football career outside the Philippines,” Garcia said, noting that there’s interest in his client in Indonesia, Japan, United Arab Emirates, China.

Calling it a dream to be playing for a national team (“Because all football players, they all dream to play for a national team,” Guirado said), the Spanish-speaking striker relates that language barriers have no adverse effect to the team. In fact, Guirado himself scored the third goal in the Azkals’ game against Sri Lanka last July 3, but not without the help of his teammates.

On the Azkals’ upcoming match, Garcia noted, “Kuwait is really a good team and they’re going to Bahrain for a one-week training camp.” And so, for now, the team has put all other concerns aside—be it showbiz or their love lives—in order to focus on the goal at hand.

As to the future of football in the country, Guirado says he does not mind people’s opinions against foreigners, even those with Filipino blood, playing for the national team. “But he believes that, if they don’t want a mix of Filipino and foreigners in the team, it’s better to [already] start [teaching football to] children here—the younger, the better. For the future, if they don’t want to get Filipino-foreigners, at least they [would] already have full-blooded Filipino players in the team.”

But Guirado noted an advantage to having Filipino-foreigners in the team. “One way or the other [their presence] creates noise like what’s happening right now.”

But while his other teammates have been making various “noises” of their own, Guirado has remained low-key for now. For once, fans certainly cannot expect to see Guirado being linked to showbiz personalities because he has admitted, with a big smile, to already having a Spanish girlfriend.

Guirado is also very close to his family. In fact, he lives in the same house as his niece, “Showtime” guest judge Coleen Garcia, and her mother. He also spends a lot of time with his nephews when he is not playing or practicing.

The influence of his parents is also pretty evident. Had Guirado not been a football player, Garcia noted him saying, “He may be working for a bus company like his father in Spain.”

Guirado also plans to take Filipino and English lessons. “Filipino, because he likes how it is spoken; and also [because] the mom speaks in Filipino,” Garcia explained.

For now, Guirado only knows a few Tagalog words, including “kamusta ka,” “saan ka pupunta” and, more importantly, “maganda”—very useful, indeed.