Distinguished as ASEAN All-Stars, Reyes and Aguinaldo will be representing the Philippines as they take on Manchester United in Malaysia.
Sandro Reyes and Amani Aguinaldo will be among the ASEAN All-Stars that are set to play against Manchester United on May 28 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Malaysia. The Filipino duo has been standouts for the Philippine Men’s National Football Team in recent months, leading to the selection by the ASEAN Champion Head Coach Kim Sang-sik.
“It’s a big honor for me personally, but first, I have to thank the entire team and staff, as I’m not able to perform without all of them, so each person deserves this as much as I do,” said Sandro Reyes. “It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work, not just this whole season, but over the last year, too. To be able to end the season in a fun game like this feels like a nice reward.”
The match serves as a rare opportunity to not only play alongside South East Asia’s very best, but also to compete against one of football’s biggest ever clubs, 20-time English Champions, and three-time European Champions, Manchester United.
“Even though it’s just a friendly, it’s still Manchester United, so I hope it could inspire a lot of kids in the country to see that it’s possible to have success in this sport and be on the same field as the best players in the world, even if we come from a non-football country,” said Reyes.
“I’m happy and grateful to be selected and to be given such a great opportunity,” added Amani Aguinaldo.
22-year-old Reyes joins the ASEAN All-Stars after a busy season establishing himself as a regular with Gütersloh in Germany, while 30-year-old Amani Aguinaldo is coming fresh from helping keep Rayong in Thailand’s top flight. Both played crucial roles in helping the Philippines create history in the recent ASEAN Championship, where the Filipinos ended a six-year wait to return to the semi-finals and defeated Thailand for the first time in five decades.
After their involvement in Malaysia, the pair will travel back to the Philippines, where they will take part in a crucial Asian Cup Qualifier against Tajikistan on June 10. The game will take place at 7:00 PM at the New Clark City Stadium.
Banner images from PMNFT.