BILLED as the last chance for Argentinian legend Lionel Messi to add the World Cup trophy to his long list of achievements, the Dec 18 FIFA World Cup final had local fans crowding eateries, roadside stalls and every place where the live match was screened.
The match came alive when the French national team clawed its way back to level the score at 2-2 right before full time, much to the dismay of Argentina fans, including yours truly.
When Messi and his team won the World Cup through penalties, it ended Argentina’s 36-year wait for the prized trophy.
And along with the World Cup champion’s medal, Messi cemented his place as the greatest of all time in the sport.
This is why I really love football, especially the World Cup which is held every four years.
It has action, drama, heroes and villains.
The first time I watched football live on television was during the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States.
I was eight then and wasn’t even into sports but the Brazilian team at that time, with its stars Romario, Bebeto and Dunga, changed my life.
Three years later, my dad brought me to the Larkin Stadium, Johor Baru, to watch England face Argentina in the FIFA Under-17 World Youth Cup in 1997, which was hosted by Malaysia.
Who would have imagined that the likes of England’s Michael Owen and Argentina’s Pablo Aimar and Lionel Scaloni would play in the Larkin Stadium before going on to become big football stars?
Today, Scaloni and Aimar are the coach and assistant coach, respectively, for the Argentine national team.
Did you know that Aimar had a short stint playing for Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT)?
Larkin Stadium is also highly regarded by Japanese fans as it was where Japan qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1998.
However, as we have seen in this tournament, having world-class players does not guarantee victory.
This year’s tournament, which was held in Qatar, was full of surprises and upsets.
Football powerhouses such as Germany, Uruguay and Belgium didn’t reach the knockout stages while Cameroon beat the mighty Brazil.
Argentina suffered a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in its opening game while Asian teams such as Japan and South Korea made the continent proud by powering through to the knockout stages.
But it was Morocco that kept people worldwide glued to their screens when it made it to the semifinals.
Football world governing body, FIFA, announced that the next World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, will see the number of participating teams increase from 32 to 48.
I know that this is a long shot but I hope to see Malaysia make it to the World Cup in my lifetime.
People might be sceptical when I say Malaysia can qualify for the World Cup but we have seen from this year’s tournament that nothing is impossible.
I believe Malaysian football is headed in the right direction as we have qualified for the Asia Cup 2023 after 15 years. We can keep getting better.
Hopefully, the Asia Cup will pave the way to bigger tournaments as we have young talented players who are hungry and determined to succeed.
To date, the Malaysia’s biggest achievement in football was qualifying for the Summer Olympics twice in 1972 and 1980.
Now is the time for Malaysian football to rise again.
Let’s hope that the stars will align for our Harimau Malaya so that I will be able to cheer on my country at the World Cup someday.
