21/12/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก-๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐'๐ฌ ๐๐
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It's never too early for one to seize the spotlight, just like Madden's run for the limelight.
Grade 7 goalkeeper Collin Madden stepped beyond local borders and onto the international stage to clinch fourth place in the highest division with the Azkals Development Academy Bacolod U13 squad at the International Football League Thailand 2025, last December 13.
The young shot-stopper, who balances academics at RTPM-DSHS with his football aspirations, stepped between the posts in his maiden international tournamentโa milestone that brought both pride and hunger for more.
"I felt happy because it was my first time playing with another team and it was my first international tournament," Madden shared. "Although I was a little bit sad about only being able to get fourth place,โ he added
Hailing from homegrown club Football Kings United (FKU), the rising athlete's transition to ADA Bacolod proved his mettle as his squad battled regional powerhouses in Thailand's competitive youth football landscape, refusing to back down against the continent's elite prospects.
Yet what truly separated the young phenom from the pack wasn't just his glove work or commanding presence in the boxโit was the quiet hunger in his bones, the kind that turns disappointment into fuel and transforms fourth place into a starting line rather than a finish.
The fourth-place finish in the tournament's highest division reflects more than just a podium finishโit showcases the fire burning in young Filipino talents who refuse to let anything kill their fire, proving that talent, when met with opportunity, relentless dedication and unwavering spirit, can break through any barrier.
With this international debut in his gloves, Madden now sets his sights on future tournaments, carrying with him the lessons learned from Thailand's heated competition and the unshakeable determination to climb higher on the podium.
And judging by the fire still burning in his eyes, fourth place was never the destinationโjust the first chapter of a story he's only beginning to write.
๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ | Althea Tatoy
๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐๐ฌ| Hannah Mondigo