The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) deeply expresses its gratitude to national team captains Patrick Gerry-Anthony Alcala Reichelt and Tahnai Lauren Rivera Annis for their unparalleled service to the flag and country.
Reichelt, also known as “Kiki,”, is the second all-time leading scorer of the men’s national team with 16 international goals.
He announced his retirement from international play on December 22, a day after appearing on his final national team duty in the Philippines’ 1-0 win versus Indonesia that clinched a 2024 ASEAN Football Championship semifinal slot for the country.
Meanwhile, Annis, nicknamed “Captain T,” is the fourth all-time leading scorer of the women’s national team with 14 and 43 international appearances.
She was the team captain of the Filipinas in its historic 2023 FIFA World Cup campaign where they won the country’s first-ever World Cup game against New Zealand. She has announced her retirement on December 28.
“To Kiki and Captain T, both of you have permanently cemented your legacy as legends of Philippine football,” said PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez.
“The entire PFF family and Philippine football community are forever grateful for giving all of your best for the flag and country. You two embodied the tenacious, unrelenting, and never-say-die mantra of our national teams. They will be greatly missed,” Gutierrez added.
The Berlin-bord Reichelt, who has his maternal roots in Cebu, has a national team career that spanned 12 years as a striker and occasional midfielder. He officially debuted on September 7, 2012, as a substitute to James Younghusband in the Philippines’ 2-0 win versus Singapore in a friendly and would score his first goal 13 days later against Guam in the 2023 Peace Cup.
He ended his career on his 93rd cap as a substitute to Uriel Dalapo in the Philippines’ 1-0 win against Indonesia in the ongoing ASEAN Football Championships last December 21.
Reichelt wrote on Facebook that he will focus on his family after his retirement.
The Ohio-born Annis, who has her maternal roots in Quezon, served the Filipinas for six years, playing 38 games as an attacking midfielder. She debuted on April 6, 2018, as a starter and captain for the national team in its 2018 Women’s Asian Cup opener versus Jordan, where the Philippines won, 2-1.
Annis, though, scored her first international goals three years later, scoring two in the 2022 Asian Cup qualifiers to clinch the Philippines’ return to the Asian Cup. She would later score two more in the main tournament, helping the Philippines qualify for the 2023 World Cup.
Annis is currently an assistant coach for the Philippine women’s under-17 national team.
