BY JONAS TERRADO
Phil Younghusband said he is enjoying a blissful post-football life as a husband and soon-to-be father living in the English countryside.
“Married life has been amazing,” said Younghusband in a live Instagram video chat with former Azkals teammate and current Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge on Saturday.
Younghusband has practically lived a quiet life ever since marrying the former Margaret Hall in Canterbury, England last year and his subsequent retirement from football.
Saved for a short visit to the Philippines earlier this year, the couple has settled on a rural life in England and are expecting a baby boy in the summer.
“It’s been a joy to know that for the rest of the life I’ll be able to introduce her as Mrs. Younghusband and be able to see her write Margaret Younghusband when filling out forms so I’m really proud of every little thing we do,” Younghusband told Etherldge.
“We had just moved to England and we got a place to go for the first time as a married couple,” he added. “So I just think that everything we do, I just feel a little bit more proud, I have a little bit more confidence and it’s an amazing feeling.”
Though already out of football, Younghusband continues to keep himself in shape, though not as rigorous during the timer when he was trying to lead the Philippine Azkals to respectability in the Southeast Asian region.
“My exercises are more health-related rather than performance-related,” said Younghusband. “My training program has completely changed. Before, there’s a lot to do with power, but now it’s more to do with staying healthy, keeping my heart rate up and making sure I am exercising completely.”
After a decorated career of memorable triumphs and hardships that made him the face of Philippine football, the 32-year-old Younghusband can now reap the fruits of his labor and savor the next phase of his life.