Valenzuela City opens The Field of Diego Maradona

Amidst the pandemic, Deputy Speaker Congressman Eric Martinez and the Valenzuela City Government pushed through with the construction of the inauguration of the city's first football turf which could open doors for a more younger generation of players from this vibrant city.

A project that was initiated before the pandemic, The Field of Diego Maradona is located at the heart of Barangay Ugong. Cong. Martinez made the most out of the open space in the Sitero Francisco Memorial National High School.

"Noong ako'y naging congressman niyo, isa ito sa talagang pinanggigigilan ko. Itong ground na'to, gigil na gigil ako dito dahil napakalaki niya (When I became your congressman, this is one of the things that I'm really eager about because this is so huge), said Deputy Speaker Martinez.

Asked as to why he named it after the late Diego Maradona, Martinez explained, "It is a fitting tribute that we name a football field (after Maradona). Si Diego Maradona ay isang mahirap na bata (Diego Maradona was a poor kid). He lived in the slums of Buenos Aires but then he rose to fame because of this game. Let this turf be an inspiration to the children of Barangay Ugong and the children of Valenzuela."

With this turf, Martinez is confident that Valenzuela City will join the great cities in the country that are known for producing talented players who now ply their trades either in the Philippines Football League or overseas.

He confidently said, "We will produce the next Diego Maradona here in Valenzuela. Believe me. It is only a matter of time."

The inauguration of the pitch was another fitting tribute to Maradona as Martinez and his committee decided to do the inauguration exactly 35 years since Maradona's historic feat against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Maradona may be remembered well because of the goal dubbed as "The Goal of the Century" as he slalomed his way past seven English defenders to score the winner but his most memorable moment was none other than the "Hand Of God" which also took place in the same match.

It is Deputy Speaker Martinez's hope that one day, a Valenzuelano will follow the footsteps of Maradona and feature for the national team. Valenzuela City is in its third season of their Street Soccer program headed by the LAOS FC- Youth Football before the pandemic halted its operations.

Though just three years into the program, football has been welcomed with open arms in Valenzuela. From what looked like a few players joining the program, they've set a record for the city on their second season as they amassed nearly 5,000 students to join its program in 2018.

Also in the same year, Valenzuela City sent their first-ever representatives to an international football competition as part of the LAOS FC-Youth delegation in the 2018 Gothia Cup.

"We have a strong program now in football. Maraming naglalarong kabataan. Hinihintay na lang talaga na'tin na itong cases (COVID-19) na'tin bumaba (We're just waiting for our COVID-19 cases to go down)," said Martinez about the city's eagerness in getting back into the field to play the beautiful game again.

And he doesn't want to stop there. Maximizing the support of the local government as well as President Rodrigo Duterte through the nation's "Build, Build, Build" program, Martinez bared plans of two more pitches to come.

"Aside from this, we will have another turf. It's a smaller version para sa maliliit na bata naman (This time for the little kids). The same caliber of turf and surface and we'll call it the "Paulino Alcantara Turf".

As if his love for the sport isn't obvious enough, Martinez also boasted a deep knowledge about the sport as he explained why the next turf will be named after the greatest Filipino football player ever existed.

"People don't know Paulino Alcantara, an Ilonggo who was able to reach the pinnacle of his success in Europe with FC Barcelona. His record was just recently broken by Lionel Messi," said Martinez.

He then followed by saying, "Many people forget the greatness of Filipino players that's why we're here to immortalize them and for the youth to be inspired."

Alcantara's legacy earned him his long-overdue spot in the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame which was then lauded by the club that gave him everything, FC Barcelona.

With football turfs budding from left to right in this vibrant city, Martinez only has one wish for all the kids of Valenzuela.

"The president (Pres. Duterte) would always say 'No to Drugs', and this is one way and our contribution in helping the government on their fight against illegal drugs. Football could be one way of leading them to greatness and something beautiful in their lives. COVID go away! Valenzuelanos would like to play (football)!"