The Philippine Football Federation did not shy away from letting their creative juices flow in making the video that announced the country’s final roster for the FIFA World Cup.
It wasn’t just a graphic or an animation listing the names of the footballers, rather, it was a full-on act.
The video didn’t feature any of the faces nor the voices of the footballers, and yet that might be the best part—as young, pretty girls portrayed the national squad members.
One scene showed a kid reenacting Sarina Bolden’s goal that clinched the country’s World Cup slot. Another featured a rendition of co-captain Hali Long’s header. And so on.
For Kiara Fontanilla, she noticed a minute detail from the girl that depicted her, and it hit her hard.
“Couldn’t help [but] notice that the young lady they used to portray me in the Philippine women’s national team World Cup roster reveal video had an almost identical messy ponytail I had while playing when I first started,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Monday.
The goalkeeper also showed her own photo to go along with the screenshot of the video to show the similarity.
This moment brought Fontanilla to a realization of her own beautiful journey in football.
“Then it really hit home that if you work hard enough, dreams can come true,” Kiara said. “So my advice for all the young ladies who are starting their soccer journeys? Have faith and keep your eyes on the prize. The magic will happen.”
The Filipinas have made their own magic happen as they are set to make historic debut in the Women’s World Cup with a roster that poses the best chance for the country to make an impact.
But the journey is just starting.
Support the national team as they take open their campaign against Switzerland on July 21.