I Proud To Be A Malaysian!!

SEA Games: Malaysia, Vietnam eye rare football win
VIENTIANE - Vietnam and Malaysia will clash in the final of the Southeast Asian Games football tournament Thursday in a surprise match-up that will see a new winner for the first time since 1993.

Malaysia, who reached the final after beating host nation Laos 3-1 in Monday's semi-final, will go into the match full of confidence after earlier knocking out eight-times defending champions Thailand.

But Vietnam, 4-1 winners over Singapore in the other semi-final, will also fancy their chances, having already beaten Malaysia 3-1 during the group stages.

Vietnam topped Group A with 10 points, with Malaysia in second on nine. Vietnam striker Phan Thanh Binh told the Thanh Nien newspaper his side had to be wary as Malaysia had some outstanding individuals.

"I think the rate will be 60-40 in favour" of Vietnam, he said, adding that their earlier win over Malaysia would give the team a psychological edge.

"We can win this match and we have to win at any price," coach Henrique Calisto told the Tien Phong newspaper.

"As I said before, Malaysia are a strong team with good preparation. We should look at how they overcame Thailand and played Laos under pressure."

"We have to prepare well for the match. We are not allowed to look down upon our opponent," he added.

Malaysia coach K. Rajagopal said he hoped the latest chapter in Malaysian football's revival would not turn out to be another false dawn. The country last won the SEA Games football trophy in 1989 in Kuala Lumpur.

"We have gone through a dry spell for quit e some time now - with the same old story and the same old blues," he said, according to The Star newspaper.

"I am sure the boys will give their best in the final. With their never-say-die attitude, urgency and high commitment, we hope they will bring success this time.

"But more important is the revival of Malaysian football." The government announced Tuesday it had approved a football development fund with a budget of up to 60 billion ringgit (S$24.5 billion).

Critics say the national side has fallen a long way since the heady days of the 1970s and 1980s. The steep decline has been blamed on a failure to nurture talent, poor management, cronyism, corruption and a lack of government support.

Lionel Messi v Wayne Rooney v Cristiano Ronaldo v Kaka

The catalyst for Barcelona's Champions League triumph over Manchester United last season, this diminutive genius was always the out and out favourite to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

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One of a string of Argentine players to have been compared to the great Diego Maradona - and the first to deserve such comparisons - Messi seemingly dribbles with the ball sewn to his boot as he fillets opposition defences.

Proclaimed to be the best in the world by none other than England manager Fabio Capello, Messi may not be the greatest goal scorer, but he is a scorer of great goals.

Rating: 9/10.

Watch Messi on YouTube

Wayne Rooney
Age: 23
Position: Forward
Club: Manchester United

United's very own Roy of the Rovers, Rooney made his mark in Manchester with a stunning Champions League hat-trick in a 6-2 thrashing of Fenerbahce, which included a beautifully flighted free-kick.

Rooney already has a considerable medal collection having helped the Old Trafford club to three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup - to name but a few.

The former Everton player has the ability to terrorise defences with his speed, strength and vision, and he is equally adept at tackling and tracking back.

Arguably a genius in the making, an incendiary element to his character is the only flaw in his well-rounded game. His kicking of a corner flag at Craven Cottage following his sending off in a 2-0 defeat to Fulham in March merely illustrates this. If he can follow Kipling's advice and keep his head, Rooney will have the world at his feet.

Rating: 7/10.

Watch Rooney on YouTube

Kaká
Age: 27
Position: Forward
Club: Real Madrid.

The Fifa 2007 World Player of the Year had the Midas touch at Milan and helped the Rossoneri win the Champions League in the same season, scoring 10 goals during the tournament. He may not have the blistering pace of a Cristiano Ronaldo, but Kaká can see the game from a bird's eye perspective and is as much a creator of goals as a supreme finisher.

After completing his £68.5 million move to Real Madrid in the summer, the Brazilian has been keen to impress again in a World Cup season.

Rating: 8/10.

Watch Kaká on YouTube

Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 24
Position: Forward
Club: Real Madrid.

A player who is just as fast with or without the ball at his feet, Ronaldo can leave the best defenders with twisted blood.

The Portuguese, who scooped two Football Writer's Player of the Year awards and a brace of PFA accolades during his time in England, helped Manchester United win the Champions League in 2008 with the opening goal in their defeat of Chelsea.

Crowned Fifa World Player of the Year for 2008 with the Ballon d'Or already in his possession, the one remaining trophy that Ronaldo would dearly love to get his hands on is the World Cup.

Rating: 9/10.