Could it be that the Queen of Philippine Volleyball—the one and only Alyssa Valdez—is headed for Retirement-Ville sooner rather than later?
Valdez herself acknowledged the possibility in her recent guesting on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” where she talked about a range of things with talk show host Boy Abunda.
One of those things was retirement, and it appears it is something the beloved Creamline Cool Smasher has thought about.
“As of now in the Philippines, wala pa tayong basis [retirement age for professional women’s athletes] in a way na wala pang women’s sports na professionalized. But I feel like medyo malapit na rin ako [mag-retire], Tito Boy,” Valdez told Abunda when the latter opened up the topic. “At the end of the day, I’ve been playing for the past 20 years already. I want to learn more, most especially after my injury, pero hindi ko na rin tinatanggal sa isip ko na in reality talaga, matatapos at matatapos ang playing time ko.”
Dealing with Injury Might Be Taking a Toll on Valdez
Valdez, of course, has been dealing with what she describes as a “nagging” knee injury, which she first sustained in the 2022 PVL Reinforced Conference. Her injury woes sidelined her for the last two conferences of the 2024 PVL Season, where Creamline pulled off a historic Grand Slam—with their leader as their main cheerleader.
There’s also this not-small matter of Valdez’s advancing age, as The Phenom turned 31 last June. It is not necessarily old for an athlete known for being always in tip-top shape, but it is old enough to accrue some serious wear and tear—something she alluded to when she mentioned the more or less 20 years she has been playing volleyball.
The Queen Is Still Playing
While retirement may have entered The Phenom’s mind, the here and now is still helping the Cool Smashers win championships. Valdez’ triumphant return in Creamline’s PVL All-Filipino Conference debut is a step in that direction, with the former Ateneo Lady Eagle showing she has plenty left in the tank—good health permitting.
Then again, should that time come for Valdez to cross the retirement bridge, she can do so with her held high. After all, she has nothing left to prove—and she will leave still as the Queen of Philippine Volleyball.
But Valdez and her Cool Smashers still have championships to win. Maybe that will convince Kapitana to hold off on that retirement for a few more years.
