Filipino football prospect gets shot at successful career thanks to 'Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation'

MANILA, Philippines -- From living in the streets, professional football player Harry Nunez now faces a bright future.

Nunez was an out-of-school youth who was just roaming around the streets of Muntinlupa back when he was younger.

He was taken in the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation more than a decade ago.

The small, thin Nunez, fondly called "Noti," was taken in to play football back when he was six years old, and he was admitted as a resident of the foundation when he was 12 years old.

Now 19 years old, the midfielder has gone far from his beginnings as a street child.

He has represented the Philippines in various international competitions.

"Actually, Fr. Rocky [Evangelista] introduced us to football, because we were just out there, just wandering around," Nunez told reporters.

Evangelista is the founder of the Tuloy Foundation, which was established in 1993 to get poor, abandoned and homeless children off the streets.

"He asked us if we want to be successful in life. And, he used football to do that to me," Nunez added.

But then, an injury struck him.

A couple of years ago, Evangelista bared that Nunez suffered a foot injury, which was a dislocated ankle. It took Noti out for some time.

After therapy, Nunez returned on the field and continued with his football career, which was called by Evangelista as a testament on his will to chase his dreams.

Since then, he has seen action in a number of high-profile tournaments.

He was part of the Azkals Development Team of the Philippines Football League, and he also played in the country's 2022 AFF championship bid.

Nunez, who turned 19 when he was interviewed by members of the media on Saturday, said he is happy to be taken under the wings of other high-profile footballers in the country, including veteran Stephan Schrock.

"I am really thankful to [high-profile teammates,] because I never thought that I would be teammates with them," he said.

And with him reaching this point of his career at a young age, the sky is the limit for Noti.

He bared that he ultimately wants to play abroad, either in Europe, like his favorite football player Lionel Messi, or in other Asian countries like Japan or Thailand.

"I am just thinking