Twenty years ago... or possibly just three decades ago, with legends like Mokhtar Dahari and Soh Chin Aun, we ruled the stands. We were the champions. We made the entire Asia envy us. And twenty years ago, we had a gold medal in the South East Asian Games (hereafter referred to as the SEA Games) - a feat which today's generation cannot think of.
Today, the unthinkable has happened again.
Malaysia, 1 - Vietnam, 0.
Malaysia finally ended a medal drought after twenty long years !
I wanted Malaysia to win. I wanted there to be the message that even in the deepest darkness, there's always a little bit of light. The unthinkable is possible. And praise the Lord, Malaysia won.
See, they were just so close to making the earth shake when they played against Manchester United early this year. Manchester United won the match, no doubt, but they only won 2-1. I despise Manchester United because of all the hype given to it, not because of anything else. I initially had the impression that the players themselves were respectable. But after what Wayne Rooney got embroiled into, my respect diminished. And my respect totally vanished when they scored a close call against Malaysia. In fact, my respect for the Malaysian football team is growing deeper and deeper.
I may not know the players' names by heart, and I know that during League matches, the stands are not full, not like how they used to be. No one goes to the National Stadium to cheer our boys on anymore. I admit that I do not have any knowledge of how it was in Mokhtar Dahari's era. But today, we've just witnessed a change that could only spell greater things to come for the Malaysian football scene.
Now, don't cringe. But I'm setting a greater target for the Malaysian association football team. Win the AFC championship. I pray that I may live to see the moment where the ranking of the Malaysian football team goes up drastically. Or rather, I hope that moment is soon. From deep in my heart, I cry :
Malaysia Boleh !
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