Know your Azkals: The double life of Aly Borromeo
Aly Borromeo is a man you wouldnât want to mess with on the field. The moment he gets the ball, you have more or less zero chance of stealing it. It may not also be a great feeling being tackled by a 6â1" 190-pound bruiser. Off the pitch, heâs an entirely different person â a shy, mellow, chocolate-loving Aly. He even has a hard time saying no to people, for goodnessâ sake. I know itâs difficult to imagine, especially if youâve seen him with his game face on. Donât piss Aly off His teammates agree that Aly is one of the most aggressive players among the Azkals. Simon Greatwich even says that heâs already gotten quite a few bruises from Aly. âI always want the ball and take command. I get pissed if you donât give it to me. I mean, I know my skills, and Iâm asking for it because I know I can do something for the team. And I also donât like seeing the opponent with the ball," he says. It was worse when he was younger, what with his raging hormones. âThere was a rumble between Kaya and Air Force about ten years ago. I was still a kid back then and I got a few blows in. That was really funny," the 27-year-old laughs at the memory. Heâs more composed and calculated now. Aside from the red card he got in Maldives two years ago, Aly hasnât been involved in any major scuffle. Usually, heâs even the mediator trying to calm things down. âO, ikaw na captain" Aly has suited up for the U-19 team, La Salle Greenhills, De La Salle University, Skyline College, Kaya FC and Global Smartmatic. He has played in all positions and was actually a goalkeeper until second year high school. Nothingâs prepared him though for his accidental âbump" to captaincy in 2004. âItâs kind of a funny story. The captain back then, Bagets Piñero, and I both went up for a corner kick to head the ball out. I accidentally broke his nose. I broke my own teammateâs nose," he retells in disbelief. âSo he gave me the armband right there and said, âO, ikaw na captain.â" Aly says heâs not a strict captain as long as you give your 110 percent. Errors are acceptable only for a first time. âOn the second time, Iâm probably gonna shout at them. Theyâre gonna get scolded. I get pissed off with slight errors where they do things without thinking, and when they try to force things," he adds.