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Phil Younghusband
Phil Younghusband Davao Aguilas.jpg
Younghusband with Davao Aguilas in 2017
Personal information
Full name Philip James Placer Younghusband Jr.
Date of birth (1987-08-04) 4 August 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Ashford, Surrey, England
Playing position Striker, midfielder
Youth career
1997–2004 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2008 Chelsea 0 (0)
2007–2008 → Esbjerg fB (loan) 0 (0)
2009–2010 San Beda FC
2011–2017 Meralco Sparks / Manila (94)
2017–2018 Davao Aguilas 31 (16)
National team
2007 Philippines U21 3 (2)
2005 Philippines U23 3 (2)
2006–2019 Philippines 108 (52)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Philippines
AFC Challenge Cup
Silver 2014 Maldives
Bronze 2012 Nepal
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Philip "Phil" James Younghusband Jr. (born 4 August 1987) is a former professional footballer. He mostly played as a striker and sometimes as a midfielder.

Phil Younghusband is famous for playing with the Philippines national team from 2006 to 2019. He was the team's captain from 2014 to 2019. He holds the record for the most games played and is the top goal scorer for the Philippines. He helped the team reach the semi-finals of the AFF Championship four times (2010, 2012, 2014, and 2018). He also played in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which was the first time the Philippines ever made it to that big tournament.

Phil was born in Surrey, England. His father is English and his mother is Filipino. He started playing football at a young age in the youth academy of Chelsea. He became a professional player in 2005 with Chelsea's reserve team. He also spent some time playing for a Danish club called Esbjerg fB on loan.

In 2009, Phil moved to the Philippines. He first played for San Beda. Then, in 2011, he joined Loyola Meralco Sparks (later known as Meralco Manila). He played most of his professional career with Loyola Meralco Sparks. During this time, he won the United Football League Cup (UFL Cup) in 2013 and the PFF National Men's Club Championship in the 2014–15 season. Phil was a great goal scorer. He won the United Football League Golden Boot in 2012. He also won the UFL Cup Golden Boot three times in a row (2011 to 2013). In 2013, he won the UFL Cup Golden Ball award. In 2017, he moved to Davao Aguilas. His team finished second in the 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara.

Phil's older brother, James, is also a footballer. They played on the same teams for both their clubs and the national team.

Early Life and Family

Phil Younghusband was born in Ashford, Surrey, England. His father, Philip Younghusband Sr., is English. His mother, Susan Placer, is Filipino. Phil's brother, James Younghusband, is also a professional footballer. James plays as a midfielder.

Club Career Highlights

Starting with Chelsea

Phil Younghusband joined Chelsea when he was only nine years old. He became a professional player in March 2005. He was the top scorer for Chelsea's youth team in the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. In the 2005–06 season, he played 21 games for the Chelsea reserve team and scored five goals.

Playing in Denmark

On 30 August 2007, Phil went on loan to Esbjerg fB, a top-league club in Denmark. He played there for part of the 2007–08 season before returning to Chelsea. Overall, he scored 9 goals in 41 games for the Chelsea reserve team. His contract with Chelsea ended in the summer of 2008, and he moved to the Philippines.

Back in the Philippines

In 2011, Phil and his brother James announced they would play for San Beda in the 2011 National Club Championships. They were very happy to be professional football players again, especially in the Philippines.

Loyola Meralco Sparks

Phil Younghusband Oct 2013
Younghusband playing in 2013

On 19 August 2011, Phil and James signed a three-year deal with Loyola Meralco Sparks. Phil played his first game for Loyola on 15 October 2011 in the 2011 UFL Cup. He scored an amazing seven goals in one game, helping his team win 15–1 against Team Socceroo FC.

Loyola lost 2–0 in the 2011 UFL Cup final. However, Phil won the Golden Boot Award because he scored 25 goals in just 7 games.

In his first league season, Phil scored two goals in his debut game. He also scored his first league hat-trick (three goals in one game) and two more goals in a huge 14–0 win. He ended his first season with 23 league goals and 49 goals overall for Loyola.

Phil was still with the club when it became F.C. Meralco Manila in the Philippines Football League in 2017. After about six years with the club, Phil and James decided to leave Meralco and join Davao Aguilas.

Davao Aguilas

Phil Younghusband and his brother James officially joined Davao Aguilas on 2 August 2017. Davao Aguilas later closed its senior team in late 2018.

International Career

Philippines v Sri Lanka, 3 July 2011 P Younghusband and team mates celebrate
Younghusband (leftmost) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal for the Philippines national team in 2011

In 2005, the Philippine Football Federation found out that Phil Younghusband could play for the Philippines. This happened because someone playing the video game Football Manager discovered his Filipino background. Phil and his older brother, James, were then asked to join the Philippine national football team.

Phil played for the Philippines Under-23 national team in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. He scored two goals in a game where the Philippines lost 4–2 to Malaysia. He also joined the senior Philippine national team. Phil played in the ASEAN Football Championship and was the top scorer in the qualifiers, with six goals in four games.

During the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, Phil scored two goals against India, helping the Philippines win 2–0. This was the first time the Philippines had ever beaten India in football. Phil scored again in a game against Tajikistan, which the Philippines won 2–1. This win helped the country reach the semi-finals for the first time. The Philippines played against Turkmenistan in the semi-finals. Phil scored the first goal, but Turkmenistan won 2–1. The Philippines then played for third place against Palestine and won 4–3, with Phil scoring two goals. He won the Golden Boot award for scoring six goals in the tournament. Finishing third was the best result for the Philippines in a long time.

On 11 June 2015, Phil played in the midfield position during a World Cup qualifier match against Bahrain.

Phil scored his 50th goal for the national team from a penalty kick. This happened in the Philippines' 2–1 win over Tajikistan on 27 March 2018. This win helped the Philippines qualify for their first ever AFC Asian Cup in 2019! Phil played in all three group stage matches for the Philippines in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Retirement from Football

On 18 November 2019, Phil Younghusband announced that he was retiring from playing football. He shared this news on his Instagram account.

Personal Life

Phil Younghusband married Margaret Hall in July 2019. They got engaged in December 2017 when Phil proposed on Christmas Day. Their wedding took place in England. Margaret Hall is a model who is both Filipino and Scottish. They had a son, who was born on 12 June 2020.

Awards and Achievements

Club Honours

Loyola Meralco Sparks

  • PFF National Men's Club Championship: 2014–15
  • United Football League Cup: 2013; Runner-up: 2011

Davao Aguilas

  • Copa Paulino Alcantara Runner-up: 2018

International Honours

Philippines

  • AFC Challenge Cup Runner-up: 2014; Third place: 2012
  • Long Teng Cup Runner-up: 2011; Third place: 2010
  • Philippine Peace Cup: 2013; Runner-up: 2014
  • CTFA International Tournament Runner-up: 2017

Individual Awards

  • Philippine Sportswriters Association Footballer of the Year (Mr. Football award): 2011
  • United Football League Golden Boot: 2012
  • United Football League Cup Golden Ball: 2013
  • United Football League Cup Golden Boot: 2011, 2012, 2013
  • AFC Challenge Cup: 2012 Team of the Tournament

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Phil Younghusband para niños

  • List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
  • List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
  • List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
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