STILL learning to speak English, Angel Guirado’s actions on and off the pitch spoke louder than words, endearing the Filipino-Spanish striker not only to his national teammates but, more importantly, earning their respect as well. The 6-foot-3 Malaga native stood out and emerged as a vital cog in the successful Philippine campaign in the recent Asian Challenge Cup Group A tournament in Yangon, Myanmar.
A marked man at the start of the four-nation meet, Guirado, whose mother hails from Isabela, finally broke loose in the team’s third and last game against Bangladesh, scoring twice in the Azkals’s 3-0 rout.
Counting the draws against host Myanmar (1-1) and Palestine (0-0), the win boosted the Philippines into the eight-nation main draw next year with five points, largely through Guirado’s second-half surge.
The team finished second behind Palestine, which subdued the host team 2-1 and finished with seven points to also clinch a spot in the round.
"Mabait siya at madaling matuto," said co-captain Chieffy Caligdong of his rookie teammate, who relied a lot on Spanish-speaking cousin Rafael Garcia to translate coach Hans Michael Weiss’ instructions during the tournament.
Garcia, who traveled with the national contingent, acted as Guirado’s interpreter during pre-match and halftime huddles.
"I would translate what coach Michael wanted from Angel, who understood right away what was asked of him," said Garcia, brother of Rain or Shine assistant coach Caloy Garcia.
Garcia said Guirado relished the experience playing for his mother’s country and was happy to contribute to the team’s stint, particularly when he scored those two markers: one on a diving header and another on a 20-yard volley outside the box.
Guirado emerged from the game against Palestine all banged up.
"Unable to speak English, he told me he was in pain after that match so I told our physiotherapist about the matter and he was able to treat Angel before the crucial game against Bangladesh," said.
Garcia added Guirado won his teammates over when they kept setting him up to score in the last match. It was obvious Guirado was already "one of the boys" during last Monday night’s welcome dinner hosted by businessman Jack Rodriguez. He easily mingled with teammates Simon Greatwich, Ray Jonnsson, Neil Etheridge, Aly Borromeo and William Espinosa.
Guirado left yesterday for Spain to return to action for his club, Deportiva Ronda, currently running fourth in the Spanish third division.
"He will return for the World Cup qualifiers in June, but he wants to help his club get promoted when he returns to Malaga," Garcia said.
Once Guirado’s contract expires with Ronda in May, Garcia said his cousin would entertain offers from local clubs.
Bong Pedralvez, Business Malaya
