He is an Ilonggo native.
Date of Birth: 2 MARCH 1982
Position: Forward
Shirt number: 23
Height: 1.79m
Weight: 75kg
Current club: Philippine Air Force
National caps: 21
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sir good day gusto ko po sana mag try out s azkals, saan at kelan po b? tnx
His Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ian-Bayona-Araneta/123734907692136
rubbish... more strikers out there are better than this lad..
@cebu_atletico - at least he is home grown !!!! you could find a lot of good booters from where ian came from... so don't call it rubbish...
@libayz21 - there are more "home grown" strikers that should do better i know you know that, the politics in PFF is just frustrating, one high official in the PFF has a last name like Ian's so.... if you can remember the games in Suzuki cup you will really hate this guy, especially the Indo games, if you listen to the commentators in StarSports you get ashamed of Ian, we need to win and we need people who can represent Philippine football with pride, for now "home grown" football talents are just not internationally competitive, that's why the PFF has to implement strictly and religiously FIFA's football structure so that we can have "Home Grown" talents that can compete internationally.. if you know football you should hate this guy... i mean he has been with the RP team since 2002 and still he could not step up, he just could not do his job as a finisher.. if you know Philippine football history man you get frustrated with the politics.. If you want a home grown that can do better, i think Caligdong can do better..
By MAV C. GONZALES
“Di nga ako nakatulog kagabi," Ian Araneta says and shakes his head.
It’s the day after the Azkals' bout against Mongolia. He missed all his goal attempts; one almost went in but bounced back on the crossbar.
“Nung Indonesia, poste din. Akala ko kahapon mapuputol na yung malas. Baka sa Mongolia maka-chamba. Malamang di na naman ako makatulog nito mamaya," he adds.
The 28-year-old has gone a long way from his humble beginnings in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo. He’s one of the “local Azkals," as people put it. The eldest of four kids, Ian was born to a teacher and a retired soldier. His dad also used to play football.
“Siguro nasa dugo ko na talaga yung football. Tsaka kinukulit din ako ng daddy ko dati. Nung nasimulan ko na, masaya pala. Gusto mo na yung ginagawa mo, wala pang pressure," he says.
Ian got hooked on the sport when he was already in fourth grade, a bit late compared to his teammates. His natural skill compensates for lost time, though. He’s already been with Air Force Riders for ten years. He’s also played for the country’s U-16, U-19, and U-21 squads.
“Nananaginip ng gising"
“Di pa rin ako makapaniwala na nasa FIFA website kami, tapos tinalo namin yung Vietnam. Eh dati di naman kami pinapansin," he says.
When the Azkals played against Indonesia in the Suzuki Cup, they experienced what it was like to really be underdogs.
“Sa Indonesia, hinahampas yung bus namin. Yung mga fans nagdi-dirty finger sa amin. Yung iba nga binabato pa kami ng water bottles," he shares.
This is exactly the opposite of the warm welcome they received in Bacolod during the AFC Challenge Cup. Fans hounded them wherever they went; some went as far as stalking. Winning against Mongolia that day wasn’t the only achievement for Ian; meeting the President was, too.
“Sobrang saya talaga. Para akong nananaginip ng gising," he says.
Ian Araneta unwinds at Melo's the night after their win. He didn't even go to the victory party afterwards, saying "Pass na ko, pagod na eh." Photo: Mav C. Gonzales
Foreigners stealing the scene?
Although he’s one of the full-blooded Filipinos, he doesn’t have anything against the half-foreigners – even if that means less exposure for him.
“Di kasi nila naiintindihan na kaya naman kumukuha ng foreigners para din sa ikabubuti ng team. Iba yung turo sa kanila abroad. Nung first time dumating nung recruits, sobrang mas aggressive sila, mas magaling. Pero balanced na ngayon yung team," he explains.
Ian is even roommates with Fil-British Phil Younghusband. The forwards have been partners since the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. Ian says they both like staying up late (and it’s become a habit to sleep with the TV turned on). If not watching TV, they talk about football and share their frustrations on why Filipinos never grew fond of the sport. Ian and Phil with his Brit-accent would make for an interesting show.
“Dati, dumudugo ilong ko, pero ngayon tina-Tagalog ko na lang yon. Marunong na siya!" he laughs.
Araneta family affair
While Ian took up football after his dad, it also trickles down to the rest of his family. In fact, his youngest sister Alina plays in the U-16 and U-19 teams.
Among the Azkals, Chieffy Caligdong is Ian’s third cousin, while Yanti Barsales is his uncle.
“Si Yanti tito ko. Bata pa ko pinapanood ko na yan," he jokes.
Even in Air Force, he has cousins Harold and Herbert Bayona to keep him company.
“Pag game, nagkakasigawan kami minsan, kasi frustrated o galit ka. Sa football, di pwedeng tahimik ka eh. Pero masaya kasi parang family reunion lang lagi," Ian says.
His wife Lacey, a fellow Ilonggo, doesn’t really play football, but she’s always at the stands to cheer him on. As Ian said, football runs in the Araneta blood. His four-year-old son Sam is already starting out in the sport.
“Sumisipa na din siya. Ilang taon pa, makakasama ko na din yan!" the proud dad ends.
To paraphrase the old adage: “The family that plays together, stays together." Okay, besides that, maybe Ian’s family is quite special because they play and win games for all of us. -- KY/OMG, GMA News
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/213515/know-your-azkals-the-araneta-affair
Araneta has a good header. Other than that, we should keep finding a replacement.
Finally, after a long time of waiting Ian scored the first goal in the
Bangladesh vs Philippine match in the AFC challenge cup group stage.
My photo of the man of the hour! Ian Araneta! (mod please paste na lang)
mongolian_azkal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60603084@N04/5525860646/
no to palakasan system!
boy dapa should give up his spot to younger players para habang bata pa eh they will learn.
If we follow national team system in other countries, players like Ian Araneta is not going to have a spot in the Philippine national team.
In other countries, coach's would pick a player based on his form in the league or in previous national team games. If I'm the coach, and GIVEN such power to pick players, I would that.
