MR. FOOTBALL 2017,AZKAL MISAGH BAHADORAN has the distinction of scoring the first international goal for the Philippines during the 2018 World Cup qualifying rounds against Bahrain in 2015. He spent his early education in Mabalacat. Pitcure source: heartthrobcandy.blogspot.
One of the brightest names in Philippine sports is the
footballer Misagh Medina Bahadoran, member of the national football team, popularly
known by their monicker, the Philippine Azkals. Misagh was born on 10 January
1987 in Mabalacat, Pampanga, the third of seven children of Mostafa Bahadoran
of Iran, and Mary Anne Medina of
Poblacion, Mabalacat.
He spent his early years in his father’s country, and at
7, he began playing football and dreamt of becoming a professional footballer.
Moving to the Philippines, Bahadoran studied at Children of Fatima School in
Mabalacat and finished his elementary and high school education there in 2004.
In college, he pursued the sports with passion, playing
as a Winger and Forward. He became so good at it that he was named to the Futsal
National Team in 2007,where he would be a member for 5 years. That same year,
Bahadoran was invited to try-out for the national football team, only to be
advised by his father to finish his studies first. At that time, he was still
enrolled as a student of Dentistry at the Centro Escolar University in Manila.
Meanwhile, Bahadoran continud to honed his football
skills by playing with many international football clubs. In 2009, he participated at the United Football League
as a player for Pasargad. He later moved to Kaya in 2010. He was soon
attracting the attention of other clubs; in December of 2011, he was asked to
try out for the Tokyo Verdy.
Upon graduation in 2011, his father gave him his
blessings to pursue his football passion
full-time. He finally became a certified
“AZKAL” when he made it to the Philippine National Football Team, in the august company of Neil Etheridge, Stephen Schrock, Chieffy Caligdong, Phil and James Younghusband.
Bahadoran was named in the final squad for the first
round 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
against Sri Lanka, but was unable to play. When the team made it to the second round, he
substituted for teammate Angel Guirado in the match against Kuwait, thus finally making his playing debut, a game
which the Azkals lost.
Not to be fazed, the team bounced back in the second
qualifying round against Bahrain in 2015. Bahadoran proved his worth when he
scored his first international goal—a historic feat for the Philippines—which
enabled the Azkals to prevail, with a score of 2-1.
The news of that victory reverberated back home. But
there was more to come from the exceptional Kapampangan. In the next match against Yemen held 5 days
later, Bahadoran scored the epic first goal for the Philippines, and the team
never looked back, with a convincing 2-0 victory.
The celebrated achievements of Bahadoran in the
qualifying games leading to the 2018 FIFA World Cup were rewarded with the
ultimate recognition from the sport. In 2017, he was named “Mr. Football” by the Philippine Sportstwriters' Association, a prized title bestowed on him in February.
It is rather ironic that Bahadoran, who has won national
acclaim for his football playing as a striker, has yet to receive the
recognition that he so rightfully deserves as a true son of the Pampanga, saved for an exemplary alumni award from his alma mater.
On the bright side, the 31 year-old continues to be active
in promoting and playing the sports that he has come to love. In 2016, he made a crucial
decision to defer his dental practice in Makati so he could spend a few more
years in football with Global FC/Cebu. Bahadoran was squired by clubs within the
region, eventually signing with the Malaysia Super League club Perak TBG in
January 2018, a stint that ended in October.
He has never lost touch with his Kapampangan roots; every
now and then, he goes home to Mabalacat for quick family get-togethers and
reunions. The football star with matinee idol looks had a 3 year relationship with actress-model
Sam Pinto, but have recently split.
As for football, never has the sport elicited this much
tremendous amount of attention among young Pinoy fans and players, than now—thanks
to the Philippine AZKALS, and to one world-class Kapampangan footballer, Misagh
Bahadoran.
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