I SAW a post the other day about that day being the international day for goalkeepers. That’s interesting. Goalkeepers are a unique bunch and boy can they make or break a team. That post had me recalling some of the most memorable goalkeeping moments/personas I encountered in Cebu. Sorry, no active keepers here, you guys still have a career ahead of you.
1. Paolo Pascual. Yep, he’s the son of my friend but that’s not the reason why I always say he’s my favorite. I’ve seen this guy develop from a pudgy first grader to a pro. And, one of his memorable outings for me was when as a 16-year-old, or was it 17, he took rejected everything Joshua Fegidero had to give. During that season, the former national team could score at will, but at that game he couldn’t. There was one sequence when after a save, Paolo had to run back and parry out a follow-up. “This is his best performance,” a coach, whose team has lost many a final to Paolo, told me that time. And that’s the ultimate compliment.
2. Fr. Leo Dizon. Paolo’s the youngest on my list and on the opposite end is Fr. Leo Dizon. And the only reason I remember his name was when my former boss Jack Biantan told me that the starting keeper in the men’s final was a 40-something priest. Seriously? I told Jack, who loved to joke. And I think he acquainted himself well in that final.
3. Ace Mangohig. Love him, hate him but Ace, the Hiroshi keeper, was one entertaining dude. Come to think of it, he was, for me the most entertaining keeper that I’ve ever seen in my two decades covering football. Yep, he had antics that led to his coaches getting more white hairs but boy he did back it up with his saves. I can just imagine, if Ace was active now, his moments would go viral.
4. Crazy Global Keeper. If Ace had his antics, that crazy Global FC keeper in the AFC Presidents Cup in Cebu was just plain crazy. His awkwardness in the pre-game warm-ups made me think whoever scouted him must have needed his glasses checked but it was his actions in his last game that confirmed it. Late into a knockout game, if you’re trailing, you may expect the keeper to go up field, but the crazy dude collected a cross and dribbled the ball upfield in the first half! He was promptly substituted and I was told in jest when I saw him missing in the post-game dinner that he was sent straight to the airport.
5. Unnamed keeper. Now this is a bit tragic. Every time there’s talk of the best keepers in Cebu, I want to include this guy’s name, but I don’t. The things he could do between the post was a marvel despite his small frame. But all of that is forgotten, because he holds the distinction of being the only guy who was banner news in the sports pages and banner news in the news pages a few weeks later.
The last time I chatted with him, I asked him how he was. Regrets were there, of course, and our conversations are usually ended by him saying, “Ayaw saba nag chat ta, lisud na masakpan ta naa ko cell phone. Sige ra ba sila raid.”