Tisoy a Spanish football hero

Ambassador Johnny Rocha, a sports buff, recently told me about a Filipino-Spanish mestizo who is considered a legend in the history of Spanish football.

I was surprised to learn of the exploits of Iloilo-born Paulino Alcantara, the all-time leading scorer of the Futbol Club Barcelona or Barca with 374 goals in 375 games. Alcantara is also in the record books as the only player ever to see action for both the Philippine and Spanish national teams.

Alcantara was born in Iloilo in 1896 to a Spanish father and a Filipina mother. His father was a soldier stationed in the province. Alcantara fell in love with football at an early age. It was like he was born to play the game.

Iloilo has traditionally been a hotbed of football. Perhaps, Alcantara had something to do with it. The Philippine Football Federation, in fact, chose Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo as the first location for its regional centers which are the backbone of a national infrastructure program funded by the Federation Internationale de Football Association to the tune of $400,000. The Barotac Nuevo center has facilities for a dormitory to accommodate some 50 players, an office and a football field.

Writer Ian Estenor said: "At Central Philippine University in Jaro, footballers from the school and around the area often gather to play matches. Santa Barara, Barotac and La Paz are several of the communities where the sport thrives in popularity."

Alcantara left for Spain to study when he was 14. He continued to play football and joined a club formed by his classmates called "Galeno." As Alcantara displayed his wares on the field, it became increasingly clear he was a budding star. He was eventually recruited to play for the Barcelona youth squad.

On Aug. 14, 1912, at the age of 15, Alcantara made his debut as a striker for Barcelona’s professional team. He scored three goals in Barca’s 8-2 win.

Estenor described Barca as the world’s wealthiest professional football club, boasting the largest stadium in Europe with a seating capacity of 115,000 and a club membership of 100,000 supporters worldwide.

"In football, most professional clubs field reserve and youth squads to supplement the first team–the professional team," said Estenor. "The reserve and youth squads play separate schedules. Players often work their way up the ladder for promotion to the professional team by playing on the youth squads as youngsters then moving up to the reserve squads as they grow older. The concept of drafting players out of high school and college does not exist in professional football. It is the responsibility of the team to develop players and not the schools."

In 1916, Alcantara returned to the Philippines and played for the Bohemians of Manila. The record books show that Alcantara suited up for the Philippine national team in seven games and it was most likely during his return that he played for his home country.

In 1918, Alcantara went back to Spain and rejoined Barcelona. The club’s British coach Jack Greenwell gave Alcantara, highly-touted as a goalkeeper’s nemesis, a new assignment as a defender. But Barca’s club membership called "Los Socios" protested the switch and appealed to Greenwell to bring back Alcantara at the forefront of the offense. Greenwell gave in to the pubic clamor and Alcantara resumed his incredible shot-making.

In 1920, Alcantara was chosen to represent Spain in the Antwerp Olympics. But he declined the invitation to concentrate on his medical studies. Spain went on to capture the silver medal. Czechoslovakia was in line for second place but organizers disqualified the team for walking out during the championship match against Belgium. A separate tournament was held to decide the silver medalist and Spain wound up on top.

Alcantara would’ve been the first and only Filipino to win an Olympic medal in football playing for another country.

In 1921, Alcantara finally agreed to play for the Spanish national squad and in his international debut, scored both goals in Spain’s 2-0 romp over Belgium. He was the first player from Barcelona born outside of Europe to represent Spain in international competition. In all, Alcantara played five games for the Spanish squad.

In 1927, Alcantara hung up his cleats at the age of 31 with five Spanish Cup and 10 Catalonia championships under his belt. The Spanish national team and Barcelona played a testimonial game on the day of his retirement to honor the Filipino-Spanish mestizo.

"Alcantara is considered one of Barca’s legendary players because of his goal-scoring exploits," wrote Estenor. "He lacked the build of a stereotype athlete but possessed the killer instincts of a matador. This offensive machine knew where the goal was and often made sure that the ball was in it. Alcantara is not only one of Spanish football’s most revered legends but a revered legend in the sport of football as a whole. He represented not only Spain but also the Philippines. He represented success not only in Catalonia (the province where Barcelona is the capital) but also in Iloilo."

Estenor said Barca is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a football club on Nov. 28 and Alcantara will probably be honored along with the other great players who have worn the team’s colors proudly.

In the 1950s, Alcantara–a doctor by profession–was lured back to football, this time as part of the coaching staff of the Spanish national team in matches against Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden. The team was unbeaten with Alcantara on the bench, winning once and drawing twice.

Alcantara died in Barcelona on Feb. 13, 1964.

Unfortunately, I could not locate any of Alcantara’s relatives to interview for this write-up. There is no record of his family life. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has knowledge of Alcantara’s family history so the information could be shared with sports fans. I may be contacted at the Philippine Star, telephone 527-2412, or office telephone 527-6007.

I wish to thank Ambassador Rocha for providing the information on Alcantara in this column.