WHEN she turned eight, just a year into picking up football, all Jelena “Jelly” Loren Ignacio Soon wished for was to see her idol, Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi, play live.
Three years and more than a dozen trophies later, the 11-year-old’s wish came true as she was one of the 10 lucky players selected by Milo to join a close to two-week camp in Spain in their Road to Barcelona program.
“I was very shocked,” said Jelly during an interview at the Cebu Football Association office last Dec. 16.” Birthday wish lang to nako sa una na makita siya live.” (Seeing him play live was only a brithday wish)
Getting to walk on Camp Nou, the fabled home of Barcelona FC, was also quite an experience for her.
“Shocked ko nga nakasulod ko... breathtaking kaayo, and ang uban gani nagdala ug grass sa pitch para souvenir nila,” said Jelly, who has played for several teams already in a young career that started when she was seven years old. (Some of the players brought a sample of grass home as souvenir)
“It was her mother who pushed her into football because she wanted her to be active,” said her father, John, who joined the interview together with Jelly’s younger brother, nine-year-old Lleyton John.
As a seven-year-old student in Singapore School Cebu, Jelly, who was into music at that time, learned the basics of football under former coach Archie Reyes.
She also trained with Giuseppe Football Club under coach Sheba Castañares, and it soon became obvious that she had a knack for the sport. Proof of that is that just two years into the sport, she became part of the Cebu elite team in the Festival of Football, an annual youth tournament for the Boys and Girls 13 and 15 divisions that serves as a selection process for the national youth teams.
At nine in her first stint, she was one of the youngest to play in the Girls 13 division, and at 11 she’s now one of the veterans.
“Wala gyud ko’y problema aning bata-a. Kugihan, maayo’g batasan,” said Jinggoy Roa, one of the coaches who handles the Cebu elite teams whom we chanced upon after the interview outside the Cebu Football Association office.
Aside from the Cebu elite teams, Jelly also played for the University of Southern Philippines Foundation when they went on an impressive run in the Allianz National Youth futsal tournament, winning the Cebu, Visayas and National titles in an impressive two-month span that also included victories in the San Roque and Ceres Cups.
At one point, the young footballer was training from 5 to 7 in the morning and from 4 to 8 p.m. During one edition of the SunStar Cup, she played in 11 games after her coach made her join the Mixed-11 Under division after playing in the Girls 15 in the morning.
“Gihimo man sad siyang model ni coach Elying (Toledo). Gi-ingnan nya mga players nga, ‘tanawa si Jelly oh, mag pinaksitay,” said John, who serves as driver, cheerer and water boy during tournaments. (Coach Elying pointed her out to the other players, ‘Look at Jelly, she doesn’t give up).
She also played for Mandaue City in the Batang Pinoy national finals and won the gold medal in Baguio City. It was supposed to be for Cebu Province, but a last-minute change had the ever supportive father John scrambling for a team.
It was in Baguio City when they received the call from Milo that Jelly was going to be a part of the team that would be sent to Barcelona.
“We decided to go for it. We knew we would be spending P40,000 for the tickets, but the experience was more than worth it,” said John, who accompannied his daughter on the trip.
Aside from getting to train in Barcelona, Jelly got to watch FC Barcelona play and also played a friendly with Marsette Academy International. She also got to ride on RC Espanyol’s first team bus.
Now that her wish as an eight-year-old has come true, Jelly has another dream—to make it to the Malditas lineup one day just like her idol Mariel Benetiz, who scouts for the national youth teams.
“Of course, ang amo sad is an opportunity for a scholarship. Mao if naa chance, sa Manila sya mag college,” said John.
And as an 11-year-old playing in an elite competition for 13-year-olds, it won’t be a long time before the Manila scouts will come knocking to get the gifted footballer in their college teams.
And that’s all thanks to her mother Lotlot, who encouraged her to try the sport four years ago.
“I also wanted to prove na football is not just for the boys,” she said.