Albert Capellas was named as the new head coach of the Philippine men’s national football team. 

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) announced the development on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 10, nearly two weeks after the sudden departure of Tom Saintfiet, who opted for a way out through the exit clause in his contract to make a return to African football.

“The priority in our selection process was to find someone who not only shared our philosophy for the National Teams, but also had the capability to transmit that vision to our players quickly. In Albert Capellas, we’ve found an incredibly good fit — a man who embodies our idea of how the game should be played, and who’s had decades of experience successfully implementing this style in various elite performance environments across Europe and in Asia,” said director of senior national teams Freddy Gonzalez.

The 56-year-old Spanish mentor will take over from Norman Figidero, who was appointed as the interim head coach that saw him guide the Pinoy booters in their campaign in the 2024 Merdeka Cup in Malaysia. 

Capellas signed a multi-year contract with the PFF as he looks to pick up a football program in need of some laborious revamping and continuity after years of stalled development. 

With 33 years of experience all over Europe, Capellas could be the missing link to the national team’s renaissance in international football. 

“I’m very proud to be a part of this journey. For me it’s a fantastic feeling to be here, to help the Federation to go to the next level because that’s what they are looking for,” said Capellas. 

“When Freddy asked me to join this project and explained to me what they are working on to make the federation better, and to deliver the best for the players, and how he wanted to approach football for the coming years in the Philippine teams, I was aligned and it piqued my attention,” he continued. 

Passionate about helping talent reach their full potential, Capellas has had a hand in the development of world renowned talents such as Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Thiago Alcantara, Pedro, and even the sensational 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who steered Spain to the 2024 UEFA European Championship final against England in Germany in July.

He looks to bring that skillset to raising the level of Filipino talent across the world. 

“Our vision is built on three values. Honesty - that everything we do in the national team, we can look each other in the eyes all the time. Then it’s about Commitment. Nobody can stay in the national team without commitment to achieve the goals we are looking for. Finally there is Courage, to fight for the aims we want to achieve,” said Cappelas.

“We want to achieve a new way of playing, a new way of training and I want to help them to understand better what it means to be a professional. We want to help Filipino players who have the chance to play abroad, that they can find better teams, that they can be better prepared to be scouted and have better football careers.”

With Fegidero appointed as interim head coach for recent Merdeka Cup, the Nationals breathed life into the program with a shift in playing style to a more proactive and aggressive approach, with a willingness to build from the back, control possession and dictate some parts of the game — all that is needed is a consistent program to solidify the progress. 

With Capellas at the helm and Fegidero as his assistant, the change is expected to be promising, exciting and even quicker than previous attempts.

“Football should be fun and exciting for both the spectators and the players. In order for that to be case, I believe we need to unshackle the players and place them in a system that trusts  their talents and challenges them to raise their game. Coaches in the past may not have had the necessary faith in our players to implement our vision. In this new chapter, that will definitely not be a problem. Our players and spectators can look forward to exciting times,” said Gonzalez.