AZKALS GOALKEEPER - NEIL ETHERIDGE IS A FILIPINO

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• Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is the 1st Filipino to play in the English Premier League

• Cardiff City and Azkals Goalkeeper Neil Etheridge have become the first player from the Philippines and South East Asia to feature in the top flight of English football.

• The Filipino-British goalie made his debut on Saturday for Cardiff City against Bournemouth in the English Premier League.

• In the Philippines, where basketball rules the sporting scene and football is a minor player, Neil Etheridge is hoping he can make a positive impact with his Premier League debut.
  “I’ll be the first Filipino and the first South East Asian to play in the Premier League and that will be a massive thing for myself, my family and the people around me,” Etheridge told ESPN FC.
  “But also, hopefully, it will serve as a good platform for people to see that if I can do it then hopefully we can push other South East Asian players to see that there’s a big world out there outside of Asia. It’s very exciting.”

• Born in London, Etheridge plays for the Philippine Azkals national team through his mother, after playing for England at the under-16 level.

• Etheridge has played more than 50 times for the Philippines, with the highlight coming earlier this year when he helped the country qualify for the finals of the Asian Cup — the quadrennial continental championship — for the first time.

• The GNP Team