Jarvey Gayoso: Man of Magis

Football has seen a steady rise in the past few years and a new generation of players are bannering the Philippine Men's National Football Team in its journey.
After a historic campaign in the ASEAN Championship last December where the Philippines reached the semifinals for the first time in seven years, and notched a win against powerhouse Thailand, the team now aims to get a spot in the AFC Asian Cup again.
This series of stories hopes to give football and sports fans a glimpse of who they are and why they are proudly Filipino, wherever they come from.
First for this series is Jarvey Gayoso.
Magis.
Ask a Jesuit-educated person about this word and they would probably answer with much familiarity. After all, this is a concept that has been ingrained in their values education.
Magis is a Latin term meaning 'more' or in Jesuit terms, striving to be better or excellent.
'More' is certainly a term that describes Jarvey Gayoso, Philippine football stalwart and former Ateneo de Manila University star, well.
Back in 2017, Ateneo won the UAAP Season 79 football title against Far Eastern University, thanks to a goal from then student-athlete and Season MVP Gayoso.
That wasn't enough for Jarvey, as two seasons later, he would again lead the Blue Eagles to the title, this time against their rival De La Salle University.
Gayoso delivered the Blue Eagles' first goal in the extra period to even the match, before Julian Roxas sealed the victory against the Green Booters.
He was also named MVP, Finals MVP, and Best Striker of the Season.
'Of course, the most enjoyable opponent is rivalry. I think it would bring the most crowd,' Jarvey told GMA News Online as he recalled the most memorable moments of his collegiate career.
'You'd have most of the guys make the effort to come to Rizal to watch. The games would always be on TV. So that was my favorite game to play,' he added.
'And the most memorable goal, I think, would be for a lot of people, especially my teammates back then, would be the Season 81 Finals against La Salle.'
Now 28 years old, Jarvey has been hard at work making his own name in sports with his talent in football.
After all, his surname is a familiar one, especially for those who grew up in the 1990s.
Remember Jayvee Gayoso of Ginebra? That's Jarvey's father.
But Jarvey also comes from a family of football players, with his grandfather Ed Ocampo and uncle Alvin Ocampo also playing his sport.
'Football wasn't really far off the path of what I had in front of me. It was definitely, I could say, either basketball or football. But after trying both sports, my love for football became more natural. I enjoyed playing football,' Jarvey said.
'It was only until high school that I took it seriously. But before that, I was just enjoying my time playing with my friends and playing football. And I think it's something that I never really had to think about.'
Jarvey said it is his family also who has given him a lot of support as he grows in the sport.
'My family has been very supportive. And even in my downs, they've always been there for me. There was no environment that they've placed that gave me the pressure of having to feel like I needed to prove something. They always put me in an environment where on my ups and my downs, they would always just be there and support me,' Jarvey added.
Excellence on and off the field
But beyond the surname, Jarvey himself has been a familiar face for football fans.
Jarvey left the Blue Eagles' nest in 2019 to turn pro, but he has been a staple of PMNFT since 2017.
With almost eight years of experience under his belt, he himself is sometimes amazed when he gets to be called part of the 'new' ones.
'It's funny because I've been with the national team for quite a while already,' Jarvey said.
'But it's nice to still be recognized also. And for me, no, there's no pressure. I find it more motivating than ever, actually.'
Jarvey has appeared in 27 matches during his senior career alone and has scored three goals for the Philippines, one of which he made just last December in the ASEAN Championship during their match against Vietnam.
Jarvey scored the goal which would have won the Philippines the match against Vietnam, but the Viets answered in extra time.
'I think it was something that the Philippines deserved,' Jarvey said.
'One thing that fans don't know is that this team entered the campaign with a mission of rejuvenating the love for football in the country. And I think we've revived it in a way. We've given a lot of life into Philippine football again with this campaign. And it's all thanks to the sacrifices and the dedication of all the players that were there.'
While the Philippines made history in reaching the semis in the tourney, Jarvey would also remember the said tournament on a personal level as he got married while the ASEAN tourney was ongoing.
'I proposed a year before, in December 2023. We had to choose a date that would fit my schedule. But I didn't really have my schedule back then,' he said.
'So we chose December as our date and I would never be one to assume that I'm already part of the lineup. Because I've been in the national team for quite a while, [and] that in the next one, I'd automatically be there, that was never my mentality. My focus was, of course, the wedding.'
No schedule conflict would stop the wedding, and Jarvey asked permission from the Philippine Football Federation to be out for some time even as the tournament was still running.
'They were very supportive of my decision. And I guess they were also very thankful that I would still participate. And the aspect of talking to my wife about the schedule, she was also okay. She just needed me for these few days before and after the wedding,' Jarvey added.
Add to that, Jarvey also signed with a team in Cambodia last year, with his commitments also overlapping with wedding preparations.
Jarvey, epitome of "more" that he is, managed to find balance in football and his personal life.
'I'm very glad that she's very supportive also of it. It's a good thing that everything went according to plan. And I scored a goal, so it's worth the sacrifice.'
The Cambodia call was something that he did not expect as well, but a talent like him deserves to be seen by the global audience.
In Cambodia, Jarvey plays with the Phnom Penh Crown and the experience made him grow as a player.
'I've experienced a lot of different players from different backgrounds, from different histories in their careers. And it changed my lifestyle also,' Jarvey shared.
'Because I had to take it more seriously. I had to get bigger. I had to work harder. I had to take every game as if it was a finals [game].'
'It built the professionalism that I needed when it comes to my career, when it comes to playing football,' he said.
And just last Sunday, Jarvey added another feather to his cap as Phnom Penh Crown FC won the Hun Sen Cup.
Just like Jarvey, the PMNFT has been doing more and achieving more in the hopes of reviving the country's love for the sport. For the former Blue Eagle, he is just happy to see Filipinos troop the stands again.
'I think it's been mentioned before that we love playing with crowds. Coach Albert [Capellas] mentioned that the players love playing with crowds. It fuels our game, our motivation to win for the country,' Jarvey said.
'I'm glad to see a lot of people coming back. I'm glad to see a lot of talk about the national team. And I think all of this gives positive results to everyone, not just the country, but to the players, to the organization also.'
Jarvey's dreams, however, do not stop there.
'[For] my personal career, I'd say I'd like to get as far as possible to play international football,' he said.
'I just want to see how far my career takes me before I retire, before I come back to the Philippines and eventually pass what I've learned on to the other guys, the other players, the other kids who grew up like me, went through the college system, who is dreaming to play a career outside of school. So I'm just trying my best to absorb and to learn everything and to get as far as possible, to reach as far as possible.'
Striving for excellence? Check. Doing more? Check.
Just another day for a man of Magis.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News

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