Philippine national men’s football team stars Sandro Reyes and Armani Aguinaldo are set to join the ASEAN All-Stars squad that will face 20-time Premier League champions Manchester United in a friendly match on Wednesday at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Malaysia.

Reyes and Aguinaldo were recognized for their efforts during their campaign in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup last December, as announced by the Philippine Football Federation yesterday.

Being part of this squad is a testament to Reyes's hard work for the national team and FC Gutersloh in Germany.

"It’s a big honor for me personally, but first I have to thank the entire team and staff, as I’m not able to perform without all of them, so each person deserves this as much as I do," Reyes said.

"It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work, not just this whole season, but over the last year too. To end the season in a fun game like this feels like a nice reward."

Reyes said he hopes seeing him and Aguinaldo go up against the likes of midfielder Bruno Fernandes of Portugal, striker Rasmus Hojlund of Norway, and defender Matthjis de Ligt of the Netherlands would inspire kids to take up football.

“Even though it’s just a friendly, it’s still Manchester United, so I hope it could inspire a lot of kids in the country to see that it’s possible to have success in this sport and be on the same field as the best players in the world, even if we come from a non-football country,” Reyes said.

Reyes and Aguinaldo join stars like Nguyễn Hoàng Đức and Nguyễn Hai Long of Vietnam, Peeradon Chamratsamee, Ben Davis, and Worachit Kanitsribampen of Thailand, and Abdel Kader Coulibaly of Cambodia.

The last time a Filipino football player joined the ASEAN All-Stars was back in 2014 when Chieffy Caligdong was included.

Aguinaldo, who has been with the Philippine national team since 2013, is honored to be named in this elite team that will face the three-time UEFA Champions League winners.

“I'm happy and grateful to be selected and to be given such a great opportunity,” said Aguinaldo, who last played for Rayong FC in the Thai League 1.

Both players are also set to join the Nationals to prepare for their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Tajikistan on 10 June at the New Clark City Stadium in Tarlac.