Kintaro Miyagi (left) and Nathanael Villanueva (right). | DH Cebu FC Facebook Page.
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Kintaro Miyagi and Nathanael Villanueva, two booters who had played in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), vowed to share their leadership and experience with the newly formed Dynamic Herb (DH) Cebu Football Club.
This they said during their guesting with CDN SportsTalk last September 29, 2021.
Miyagi and Villanueva said what they can share with the team set to make its pro debut in the Philippines Football League (PFL) is their experience of being able to play in the UAAP.
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Watch them here:
Miyagi, a homegrown Cebuano striker who donned the Philippine Azkals’ jersey from 2011 to 2017, said his leadership skills would help guide his teammates, especially those who haven’t played in big leagues yet.
“For me, maybe I could help having the experience playing in Manila. I can share my knowledge and leadership skills to my teammates as a former captain of UP football team,” said 23-year old Miyagi, who is also the former team captain of the University of the Philippines (UP) men’s football team.
Like the other homegrown players in the team, Miyagi, who also played for the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC), said that he is greatly honored to play for a team that truly represents his hometown.
“It’s an honor to be part of this club, many players wanted to be part of this club but few were chosen by the coaches and the management. I feel very lucky to be here and it has been my longtime dream to play for a football club for my province,” said Miyagi.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Villanueva from Marikina City said that as the most experienced player in the club, he wants to bring the discipline and attitude they learned from UAAP and the PFL.
“Based on our experience in UAAP, I think, the attitude that we learned and the discipline we can share it to our teammates here in Cebu,” said Villanueva, who served as the goalkeeper for UP and the Kaya FC in PFL.
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“Being one of the experienced players in the club, I want to bring them in the AFC stage, the international level, that’s the ultimate goal of the owner also.”
Both Miyagi and Villanueva said they want to compete in the PFL and the AFC Suzuki Cup and ultimately produce Azkals players in the future.
/bmjo
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