MANILA, Philippines -- Over 100 years since he played for the Philippines, legendary footballer Paulino Alcantara is headed to the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.

Best known for his exploits for FC Barcelona, the Iloilo-born Alcantara is part of the fourth batch of Filipino sporting icons who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Also part of the class are basketball legend Robert Jaworski, and athletics star Elma Muros-Posadas.

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Alcantara is the first football player enshrined in the Hall, which inducted its first batch in 2010. For officials of Philippine football, it is an honor that -- while long overdue -- will have a great impact on the sport and its players.

"Paulino Alcantara is on that level, where people outside the Philippines actually consider him as one of the best football players in the world," said Dan Palami, team manager of the Philippine men's national team, in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

"It's just apt that the recognition is given to him, finally, by the Philippines. I do feel that it's long overdue. But, better late than never, so I'm glad that it has happened," he added.

Mariano "Nonong" Araneta, president of the Philippine Football Federation, believes it is fitting that the Philippines recognizes Alcantara's achievements -- especially as he is considered a legend by one of the biggest football clubs in the world.

"Paulino Alcantara is a name itself in Barcelona, and even Barcelona has recognized all his achievements," Araneta noted. "It's just fitting that the Philippines will also recognize him, so we're happy that he's been included."

Alcantara played for Barcelona from 1912 to 1927, with a brief break from 1916-1918 when he suited up for the Bohemian Sporting Club in the Philippines. He made his Barça debut at the age of 15, in February 1912, and went on to score a stunning 395 goals in 399 matches -- a record that stood until 2014, when it was broken by another club legend in Lionel Messi.

In a statement to ABS-CBN News, FC Barcelona said that Alcantara can be considered "the first 'media-friendly' player in Barça history."

"His characteristic presence, and the white handkerchief hanging from his shorts, made him very popular among our fans... He laid the foundations for the golden age of FC Barcelona in the 1920s with Samitier, Zamora, Sagi and Piera, among others," the club said.

• FULL STORY: FC Barcelona hails Paulino Alcantara's induction in PH Sports Hall of Fame

Alcantara is recognized by Barcelona as one of its "Legends," a group that includes some of the biggest names in the history of football including Andres Iniesta, Josep Guardiola, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff.

When his playing days were over, he continued to work with Barcelona as a club director. He died on February 13, 1964, at the age of 67, in Barcelona.

COPA PAULINO ALCANTARA

In the Philippines, Alcantara's legacy lives on through the competition that the Philippines Football League created in his name.

The Copa Paulino Alcantara was first held in 2018, with Kaya FC emerging as champions. The next year, powerhouse Ceres-Negros -- since rebranded as United City FC -- won the competition.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Copa.

Even while the competition that honors Alcantara is suspended, the PFF is confident that his name and his achievements will only become more well-known now that he has been inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.

"I think, with the awards that he's receiving, I think it will be played up naman in the newspapers or in the media, regarding the achievements of Paulino Alcantara, who has put a name for himself in Barcelona. Hopefully this award will put him on the pedestal of great Filipino athletes," said Araneta.

"Even if you look at other sports, in terms of professional sports except boxing, probably, Paulino Alcantara -- who can be compared to him, as far as record is concerned, as far as his achievement is concerned?" he added.

"We're not just talking about a team, but it's Barcelona. It's not just a club. And to have the record that stood for so many years, so you know, it's something."

Palami added that Alcantara is an inspirational figure to Filipino footballers, even if his exploits came at a time "where Facebook, Facetime, YouTube was not yet invented." The PFF only has photos of Alcantara, and Palami recalls seeing one particular photo where he actually broke the net. There are no actual footages of his exploits, however.

During his time in Barcelona, Alcantara would gain the nickname "El Romperedes," or "The Netbreaker" for his goal scoring prowess.

"For players here and abroad, and for future Azkals, I think he's a person worthy to emulate, in terms of his professional career," said Palami. "I think, especially for our upcoming players, I think he will serve as an inspiration, and he's somebody, his career is something to aspire for."

"I think, this alone will also encourage our players here and abroad to pursue football with the kind of professionalism and siguro 'yung work ethic, and other aspects that made him a great football player."

A BOOST FOR PHILIPPINE FOOTBALL

For Palami and Araneta, what makes Alcantara's enshrinement all the more vital is that it shines a spotlight not just on the legendary player but on Philippine football itself.

While Alcantara may have only briefly played for the Philippines, his achievements in Barcelona is proof that Filipinos are capable of playing at the highest level, Araneta stressed.

"Paulino was born here, and he played here, but made a name in Barcelona. So I think anyone from here, from the Philippines, given the right training, the right exposure, the right opportunities, he can make it also outside the Philippines," said the PFF boss.

"It's a big impact also, that even our local players, homegrown players have a chance to make it outside the Philippines," he added. "He's a big inspiration, inspiration talaga siya sa mga Filipinos."

Palami, meanwhile, said: "I'm quite glad that somehow, this recognition is finally given, because it gives the sport a much-needed boost in terms of the popularity and the acceptance."

The sport has risen in popularity in the last decade, thanks in large part to the Azkals' rise in the Southeast Asian region, football continues to lag behind basketball, boxing, and volleyball in terms of its profile in the Philippines.

As Alcantara takes his place in the Hall of Fame with other icons of Philippine sport, the hope is that the importance of his achievements will be highlighted -- and inspire Filipino sports fans in general, not just football fans.

"I think, what is more important is really, and the bigger impact for me, is for us to spread his name across the sporting community, not just in football. So that everybody knows about him, outside football," Palami explained. "By knowing him, they get to know the sport, and they get to know the impact that the sport can create worldwide."

"Para sa akin, mas malaking bagay na malaman talaga ng mga kapwa Pilipino natin, kababayan natin kung sino si Paulino Alcantara. Not just the football players, kasi more or less, a lot of us already know about him and consider his exploits," he added.

"Itong importante, is to promote him so that the sport can also be promoted dito sa atin, dito sa bansa natin."

EXPANDING ALCANTARA'S LEGACY

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Alcantara's impact on Philippine football is undeniable, but Palami believes that more can be done to elevate his profile among Filipino fans who may not know of the magnitude of his achievements. In this regard, the Copa Paulino Alcantara should just be the start.

One of Palami's suggestions is to hand out an award under Alcantara's name.

"Maybe, instead of Football Player of the Year, you can say he's given the Paulino Alcantara award," he said.

A more ambitious project is a documentary or a biopic about Alcantara.

Even 100 years since he last played for the Philippines, Alcantara remains a fascinating subject -- he is still, up to now, the youngest player to debut for Barcelona. His achievements for the club are immense, having helped Barça win the Copa del Rey five times, and the Catalan Football Championship 10 times.

While playing for the Philippines, he scored in their 15-2 demolition of Japan in the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games -- still the country's biggest victory in all competitions.

"Sana nga, the people behind 'Heneral Luna,' all those stuff, I'm sure they can make a big story and create a story about Paulino Alcantara. Maybe somebody there, we'll never know, we'll see," said Palami. "Or even just like a documentary about him."

"Maybe PFF can do that, and finance a documentary that we can maybe upload on Netflix or something. I've seen some players who are less worthy being on Netflix, kaya lang mas bago. I just hope, but then again, we'll see if there are enough footages to show what he did. Because, that was pre-war games," he added.

Araneta said they will take this under consideration, given the lack of footage of Alcantara's playing days.

"We will have to look at all the materials that we have," he said.

In the meantime, they will continue to honor the football legend through their Cup, and find ways to highlight Alcantara's achievements for the next generation of Filipino players as well.

"Probably, we can revisit again with our youth competitions, kung matutuloy 'yun, if we can name one league under him, in his name," said Araneta.

THE NEXT PAULINO ALCANTARA

Philippine football has not lacked for star players in the past decade, after the Azkals' historic achievement in the Suzuki Cup sparked a resurgence in the sport. There are homegrown Filipinos playing in leagues abroad, particularly in Thailand. Players with Filipino heritage compete in European leagues for top clubs.

For Palami and Araneta, Alcantara's achievements prove that the Philippines can produce a top-level talent who can shine in one of the biggest stages of football. The question now is how the country can regularly develop those kinds of players -- and then bring those talents together -- in order to lift the Philippines to the elite level in the sport.

Araneta believes that it must start at the grassroots level. "We need leagues here, even for our youth competitions," he said.

Through these competitions, they can identify the talents who can one day suit up for flag and country -- but it won't be an easy undertaking, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented all amateur sports from taking place.

"But I think once we have those leagues in place, that will really help a lot of our young players," Araneta assured.

Aside from this approach, Palami also noted that they remain in contact with Filipinos who play abroad -- everywhere from Southeast Asian countries to Denmark and the Netherlands.

"Some of them are quite young and have shown great potential," he said.

"But I think, what it will take for the local players is a strong training ground here, good grassroots program, and then for those who are abroad, for us to be able to bring them together more often," Palami added.

"Because at the end of the day, this is a team sport, and it will take maybe a few Paulino Alcantaras to get us through to the World Cup."

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