PLAYING in the UAAP was not a big enough dream for 16-year-old Joshua Moleje.
After years of honing his craft in football hotbed Bacolod, Moleje, a left winger for the UST Junior Golden Booters, now aims for a bigger goal — one that only a handful of Filipino football players have ever grasped.
The Junior Golden Booter received a 100% scholarship to train at the prestigious Levante Unión Deportiva in Valencia, Spain, last December, making him one of the few Filipinos to earn such an opportunity.
“Naalala ko po, parang ang first reaction ko po was, ‘Mama, I am going to Spain,’” Moleje told the Varsitarian.
“Big deal po talaga sa akin, knowing po na I’m representing the Philippines na country kung saan hindi naman po talaga masyadong malaki ang football. So, kailangan ko po talaga patunayan ang sarili ko,” he added.
The scholarship was a result of the newly minted partnership between the Azkals Development Academy (ADA) — founded by former Philippine national team captain Stephan Schrock — and Levante, a Valencia-based football club in Spanish La Liga’s Segunda División.
Moleje earned the scholarship after impressing the ADA during the International Football Championships in Bali, Indonesia, where he was named Best Player of the Tournament among top players from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia.
While counting the days before flying to Levante, Moleje sees the ongoing UAAP Season 87 juniors football tournament as a chance to improve as a winger and grow further as a player.
He also hopes to leave a lasting legacy at UST by winning the championship.
“Kinausap po ako ng mga seniors ko and pinaramdam po nila na special itong season na ‘to. Gusto ko po bigyan ‘yong UST ng memorable season… Gustong-gusto po namin makuha ‘yong championship,” he said.
Moleje became part of UST in 2023 after head coach Marjo Allado recruited him during his ninth grade at the University of St. La Salle-Integrated School in Bacolod.
He was a key player in UST’s first-ever finals run in the UAAP last year, which ended in defeat against the dynastic FEU Diliman Baby Tamaraws.
Once he completes his training in Spain, Moleje aims to give back to the national team, drawing inspiration from his senior in the Makati Football Club, national team star Sandro Reyes, who received a full scholarship from FC Barcelona’s Football Academy at 9 years old.
“Ipapakita ko po ang best ko sa kanila and siguro po after nito, babalik ako sa Pilipinas tapos po kung papalarin mag-national team din po ako,” Moleje said. “Pinaghirapan ko po talaga ‘to dati pa. Malayo na rin po kasi yung napuntahan ko, pati na rin po sa family ko nalayo na rin po ako since nag-start ako maglaro sa Bacolod, so masarap po talaga sa feeling.”
“Parang nandito na po ‘yong kung ano ‘yong hinihiling ko dati,” he added.