The football frenzy has finally hit the Philippines. After countless decades of basketball and boxing craze, Filipinos have found a new sport to go crazy for. The Filipinos' stunning 2-0 victory over defending champions Vietnam in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup not only made the front page of Sports Illustrated, a US-based sports magazine, but also proved that Filipinos can keep up the pace of other international teams in other sports. basketball. Gifted with excellent dexterity and speed due to their small size, there is no denying and imagining the incredible things Filipinos can do on the football field. Football is truly the ideal sport for Filipinos. Football was first introduced to Filipinos by English sportsmen who were members of the Manila club in the 1890s, during the Spanish colonial period. However, he was not easily accepted by society before, because he was played by half-crazed foreigners. But thanks to the curiosity and very imitative nature of young Filipinos, the game was quickly adopted by the locals. Paulino Alcantara, a mixed race born and raised in Iloilo, played football for Joan Gamper's FC Barcelona team from 1912 to 1927. He scored a total of 357 goals during his entire time with the club and even won the nickname El Rompe Redes, which means net breaker, because of the force of his kicks. He was considered a great asset to the team and was considered the greatest Filipino footballer ever produced. (azkals-philippinefootball.com)Football, however, was later overtaken by basketball and boxing a few decades later when the Spanish left and the Americans came to take over the colonization of the Philippines. Basketball became the new fever, locals welcomed the newly introduced sport with open arms, and every...... middle of paper ......cc/2011/07/philippine-azkals-potential .html>. Why the Philippines should focus on football. Central pages. Np, Sd Web. October 2, 2011. “Meet the equally tough Filipino Azkals.” » Central pages. Np, Sd Web. October 2, 2011. .Cinco, Elinando. “In World News.” Manila Bulletin. Np, February 14, 2011. Web. October 2, 2011. “Azkals.” Speak, speak Tilaok. Np, January 22, 2011. Web. October 2, 2011. “Chelsea Football in Manila.” » Yahoo Sports. Np, Sd Web. October 2. 2011. .