Know your Azkals: The Filipino in Anton
When Anton Del Rosario walked inside the coffee shop with his French-Filipina girlfriend, you would honestly think you landed on an episode of The Hills. But donât let the foreign looks and American twang mislead you. Anton is just as Filipino as we are â well almost. Antonâs Fil-Am dad visited Manila after the Vietnam War. Within three weeks, he met Antonâs mom, courted her and married her. They moved to San Francisco where Anton was born and raised along with his brothers. âI grew up in San Francisco, but the Philippines is my home too," he says. Anton has never lost touch with his roots here in Manila. His family used to visit the Philippines twice or thrice a year for vacation. He even played for De La Salle Universityâs football team for a year. Although he trained with the Azkals for the 2000 World Cup Qualifiers, it wasnât until the 2004 Tiger Cup that he seriously committed to playing for the country. âIt was the first tournament I joined with Aly, Ian, Chieffy and Chris. In 2004, we beat East Timor. Itâs my fondest memory in the Azkals because it was the teamâs first win in like 12 years," he says. Anton started playing football when he was six-years-old. Heâs 29 now and his love for the sport has not waned. (By the way, when I asked his age, he said itâs âsomething you should never ask a guy" but revealed it anyway.) For all the good things football is, he says he hates the pointless running. âI hate running for no reason. I mean, if thereâs a ball in front of me, I would understand it. But just running around aimlessly? I really hate that," he quips. Well all that running keeps him in shape and has already gotten him in teams such as Notre Dame, Belmont, Kaya and Harmony. Not really âaimless" if you look at it. Girlfriend, kids and partying Antonâs been here in Manila since December 2009. He met his girlfriend Laetitia through common friends and theyâve been together for over a year now. Laetitia says heâs really âmakulit" and sweet. Heâs done a lot of romantic things for her, but her favorite is the time he surprised her with a huge bouquet of flowers in the office. Anton also spends a lot of time with his family especially now that his mom and three brothers reside here in Manila too. If ever youâve seen photos of him with little kids, those arenât his children â theyâre his nieces and nephew. âI really love children. I actually want to have four or five kids of my own," he says and turns to his girlfriend for approval. She just smiles and nods. But for now, Anton is more bent on putting up a business here in the Philippines and squeezing in a party every now and then. âIf I had to quit football, Iâd probably be taking up law," he says with utter confidence but then bursts into laughter. âNo actually, Iâd probably be partying in the US." Off the pitch, he describes himself as very friendly and social. In fact, two of his favorite places here in the Philippines are Boracay and Fiamma. Very party-esque indeed.