Azkals co-captain looks forward to footie match vs. Derek

Philippine Azkals co-captain Chieffy Caligdong (Photo courtesy of 'Emilio 'Chieffy' Caligdong' Facebook fan page)

MANILA, Philippines – It seems a one-on-one football match between Philippine Azkals co-captain Emilio “Chieffy” Caligdong and Derek Ramsey is in the offing.

“Kung pagbigyan niya [Ramsay] ako na magkaroon ng one-on-one, posible. Why not? Pakita ko sa kanya kung ano 'yung, kung saan ako galing na manlalaro na futbolero,” the striker told abs-cbnnews.com in a report on March 4.

This comes after Ramsay, via a message sent to "Showbiz News Ngayon" last week, accepted his earlier challenge to a football game. Recall that Caligdong jokingly asked Ramsay about three weeks ago to a friendly match after the former admitted that Angelica Panganiban is one of his showbiz crushes.

“Okay lang din sa akin na lumaban ng one-on-one sa football. I love a challenge and I've played football all my life. Win or lose, it would be fun,” the actor-model, who also plays for the RP Frisbee team, said.

More, the Azkals co-captain said that he would be proud to face Ramsay in a game which, he stressed, is only “for fun.”

‘Kung gusto niya, I'm proud na makalaban ko siya. Celebrity rin siya, eh. So sa akin, malaking bagay na iyan. Ang tanong sa kanya, malaking bagay rin [ba] sa kanya?

“Hindi [ko] naman [aagawin] iyong girlfriend niya. Crush lang naman so nag-aadmire lang ako dahil maganda siya,” said he.

Caligdong also intimated that he would love to meet Panganiban in person. Should the opportunity arise, he said that he would ask for her autograph and will also ask to have a picture taken with her.
Asked who his crush is aside from Panganiban, Caligdong said it’s Kapuso actress Rhian Ramos.
Caligdong may be remembered among football fans for scoring the opening goal in the Azkal’s first prequalifying game for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup against the Mongolian team last Feb. 9, which the Azkals won (2-0). Their second game against Mongolia is set for March 15 in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Meanwhile, Panganiban is currently under fire after she posted tweets on Thursday about another Azkals striker, Phil Younghusband, who is set to have a cameo in an indie film. This did not sit well particularly with one Phil Younghusband fan, who then hurled invectives towards the actress and even to Ramsay. Panganiban declared she is planning to bring the issue to court.

/via Manila Bulletin (by Julien Mercado C. Matabuena, Mar-4-2011)