Naturalized striker Bienvenido Marañon vows to go all out in Azkals debut at AFF Suzuki Cup

Naturalized striker Bienvenido Marañon is finally making his debut for the Philippine Azkals in the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup slated for December 5 to January 1 in Singapore.

The Spanish footballer vowed to leave no stone unturned as the Philippines goes up against some of the best clubs in the region.

"For me, to be here is already a pleasure. What I can do for them is train hard and try to do my best," Marañon said in a virtual press conference on Thursday.

"I promise them to work hard and the goals will come."

Despite only completing his naturalization bid this year, Marañon is no stranger to the Philippine brand of football.

The 35-year-old booter has been playing for United City in the Philippines Football League (PFL) and was pivotal in the club's championship runs including the 2020 PFL title.

He also emerged as the top goalscorer in the previous season after notching seven goals in the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot plum.

Marañon, however, said he is not pressured heading to his first-ever game in a Philippine jersey and said he'll just enjoy the tournament like he always does.

"This is totally different because now we are representing the country. The country that I fell in love [with] and now it's a different story," he said.

"There's no pressure in this. I will just try to do my best and I think with this, it's enough. I play football to enjoy."

The Philippines will start its campaign against host Singapore on December 8 at 8:30 p.m.  followed by a clash with Timor-Leste on December 11 at 5:30 p.m.

The Filipinos will also face Thailand on December 14 before colliding with Myanmar on the 18th to end the group stage.

—MGP, GMA News