Joaquín Loyzaga

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Loyzaga and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Joaquín Loyzaga Sr.

Passport application of Loyzaga (right) with his wife Carmen Matute, 1922
Personal information
Full name	Joaquín de Loyzaga Martínez
Date of birth	(1890-07-12)July 12, 1890
Place of birth	Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Date of death	July 4, 1935(1935-07-04) (aged 44)
Place of death	Philippine Islands
Position(s)	Defender, goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1915-1921	Bohemian
International career
1913–1917	Philippines
Medal record Philippines Far Eastern Championship Games 1913 Manila Team 1915 Shanghai Team 1917 Tokyo Team 1919 Manila Team 1921 Shanghai Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Joaquín Loyzaga Sr. (born Joaquín de Loyzaga Martínez; July 12, 1890 – July 4, 1935) was a Filipino international footballer who has covered the role of a defender and goalkeeper making him a utility player. He played for Bohemian S.C. and represented the, then called Philippine Islands football team in the Far Eastern Championship Games, the precursor of the Asian Games.

Club career

Bohemian Sporting Club

Loyzaga has played for Bohemian Sporting Club from the mid 1910s to the early 1920s and was one of the longest serving players of the club. Loyzaga as a Bohemian was part of the dominant side that won the four-peat, winning the National Philippine Football Championship four times in a row in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918, as well as the consecutive titles in 1920 and 1921. Thanks to those victories he became one of the most decorated player of the club. During his tenure at Bohemian he was able to play alongside the two best Filipino football players of the era in Paulino Alcántara from 1916 to 1918 and Virgilio Lobregat from 1918 to the early 1920s making himself as one of the few players who teamed up with the two legends. Loyzaga, as a Bohemian player, represented the Philippine Islands football team in four editions of the Far Eastern Championship Games.

The "Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation" listed him as player of Bohemian S.C. from 1915 to 1921 (during the Far East Games) and probably stayed also in the 1922 and 1923 Championship winning sides but it is unknown if he stayed for more years, left the club or retired. If he did retire, that would make him a "one-club man" and one of the very first in Philippines football history.

International career

1915 and 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games

In the 1915 Shanghai Far Eastern Games he showed his versatility and played as a goalkeeper. The first game was a rough one against the Chinese, with whom the Filipinos had bad blood with due to the accusations in the previous edition and ended with each team having a player sent off. The match was played under the rain making the pitch greasy and often stopping the ball in puddles of water. The game ended 0-1 in favor of the Chineses whos goal was contested by captain and Bohemian teammate Joaquín "Chacho" López who appealed that it was offside to no avail. The second game Loyzaga was able to keep a clean sheet previnting the opponents to score but it ended with a 0-0 draw. The third game was important as the Philippines needed a win to take it to a fourth game but it ended in an another draw as the Filipinos scored only an equaliser in the last minutes, proving the first game the decisive one and brought home a silver medal.

Loyzaga took part in the 1917 Tokyo edition where he played as a defender and helped the national team win 15–2 over Japan in what was and still is Philippines biggest win in a international match. Although Loyzaga and teammates won impressevly, they lost against China and finished second.

1919 and 1921 Far Eastern Championship Games

The 1919 Manila Far East Games saw Loyzaga and the Philippines play three competitive matches against rival China, losing the first due to crucial mistakes but winning the second one 2-1. After the Filipinos were leading with two goals at half time, which were scored by Lobregat and Ramon Marco, China's Au Kit Sang scored and tried equalise the game by attacking costantly. The Filipinos were able to hold on and in the last minutes of the game Loyzaga, who played as a defender, proved to be determinant as he headed away the ball on one China's attempt that was surpassing the goal-line meaning that a third meeting would have decided the champions. The final game saw the Philippines leading 1-0 at half time but the Chinese were able to turn in around winning 1-2 and giving Loyzaga another silver medal.

Loyzaga played his last Far Eastern Championship games in 1921 in Shanghai and after defeating Japan 3-1, he and his teammates lost once again against China with a 0-1 result. In each edition of the Far East Games he was able to capture a silver medal.

Other

He was born to José Antonio Eugenio de Loyzaga y Ageo, a wealthy criollo businessman and sixth-generation member of landed Old Manila gentry, and María de la Luz Martínez Vial, a middle-class criolla. He was married to María del Carmen Matute y Sequera, who herself was a well-to-do ninth-generation criolla. He is the father of Carlos Loyzaga who is considered the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time. Carlos was initially involved in football.

At the inaugural Manila Youth Games in 2002, plagues of recognition of select athletes from Manila, including Loyzaga, were presented.

Honors

Bohemian S.C.

• United States Philippines Championship (6): 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921

Philippine national football team

• Far Eastern Championship Games: (Silver medal) 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921