The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Messi and Ronaldo: Another planet Posted: 08 Oct 2012 04:44 PM PDT OCT 9 — What else can possibly be said about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? So many words have already been used to eulogise these two magnificent players that I was tempted to simply ignore them and write about something else. Like Jose Fonte's last-minute equaliser for Southampton against Fulham (come on, you Saints!). But how, after Sunday night's dramatic Clasico, could I write about any topic other than these remarkable freaks of nature. Even the habitually controversial Jose Mourinho had the world nodding in agreement, for once, when he described Messi and Ronaldo as "from another planet" after Sunday's shootout at the Nou Camp. "It should be prohibited to have to decide who is best," he added. "I prefer my player, but they are both fantastic." And perhaps he's got a point. The topic of whether Messi or Ronaldo will be awarded the FIFA Ballon D'Or for the world's best player has been a recurrent one in Spain throughout the last few months, and is also one of the strongest candidates for the source of Ronaldo's well-publicised "sadness." There can be little doubt that Messi and Ronaldo are the two greatest goalscorers currently playing football (even though Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Radamel Falcao are matching them for goals so far this season). Not necessarily the greatest players, note, because there are many footballing qualities and the words "best" and "greatest" must always be highly subjective when considering a multi-faceted activity such as football. Are Messi or Ronaldo the greatest passers in football? Or tacklers? Or headers? No, so perhaps it's wrong to describe them as the best "players" because there are others who possess different, or a wider range of, specific abilities. But in terms of the game's most important and most high-profile skill — putting the ball in the back of the net — they are peerless. Statistics tell the story, with both players sustaining their outrageously prolific goalscoring feats over a long period of time: Messi has now scored 265 goals for Barcelona, just a dozen short of the club's all-time record — and he's only 25; Ronaldo has netted 157 in 154 games since joining Real Madrid — an average of more than one a game over the course of three seasons. So which of them is "better"? I agree with Mourinho (sorry... I just have to pause in astonishment at those four words that I've just typed... OK, let's carry on.). I agree with Mourinho that we shouldn't have to choose. Who is better: Picasso or Van Gogh? Shakespeare or Plato? Beatles or Rolling Stones? Ultimately it largely comes down to personal choice — the one you enjoy the most is the "best". From a tactical perspective it becomes a little more subtle because different players thrive in different environments, and Messi and Ronaldo are both perfectly suited to the strategic make-up of their current club teams, which have been built around them to get the most out of their skills Ronaldo's pace and power when running with the ball, and his ability to finish off a lung-busting 50-metre run with a full-blast, first-time strike on goal mean that he is the ideal player for the fast and furious counter-attacking philosophy employed by Mourinho at Madrid. And Messi's nimble footwork, his clever use of angles, his deft first touch and his ability to play quick, short passes to create space in small, congested areas allow him to excel in Barca's famous tika-taka system. If they swapped teams, I'd suggest, neither would be anywhere near as effective. Wearing the white of Madrid (and what a strange thought that is!), Messi would not have the physicality to turn defence into attack within a matter of seconds, or burst into space to power a missile-like shot towards the top corner; he'd want to play a clever one-two with a teammate first. Similarly, put Ronaldo in a Barca shirt and he would struggle to find the patience to exchange a series of quick, sharp passes with Xavi and Iniesta before eventually creating the angle for a shot; he'd just get fed up and want to start shooting on sight. They are very different players with different strengths and weaknesses: Messi has better touch, is a trickier dribbler and can produce a wider variety of finishes; Ronaldo is stronger, better in the air and a more powerful shooter with both feet. But the end result is the same: they both score a ridiculous number of goals. It all goes to prove that there's no right or wrong way to score goals or play football. I prefer Messi's creativity and ability to do the unexpected; others may favour Ronaldo's awesome power and precision. It doesn't mean that one is better than the other. All you can do is play to your strengths and make the most of what you've got — which, if you're Messi or Ronaldo, is an awful lot. So perhaps we should not even enter into the "who is greatest" argument. Instead, we should simply accept that Messi and Ronaldo are both very special, very different, and savour them both while we can rather than worrying about which one is best. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| Sikitnya pelajar Australia di sini Posted: 08 Oct 2012 04:35 PM PDT 9 OKT — Saya tidak terkejut jika sikit sangat pelajar asing belajar di Malaysia dibandingkan dengan pelajar-pelajar Malaysia di beberapa negara tumpuan seperti United Kingdom, Amerika, Australia, Kanada dan lain-lain. Sekaliannya tentu ikut pilu atas kepiluan Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran Tinggi, Datuk Saifudiln Abdullah mengenangkan keadaan itu di Parllimen baru-baru ini. Katanya, dibandingkan dengan jumlah pelajar Malaysia di Australia kini sekitar 20,000 orang, maka pelajar Australia di sini sekadar 200 orang. Saya tidak mengikuti perbandingan bagi England dan Amerika. Dipercayai tidaklah ada apa-apa ajaibnya. Jika perbaningan dalam bidang pendidikan dengan negara-negara luar itu ibarat kerjasama dalam bidang perdagangan dengan sesebuah negara, maka jelaslah hubungan pelajar dari Malaysia dengan Australia itu amat tidak seimbang. Jika pelajar kita ke sana sekitar 200 atau 300 orang saja, seolah-olah perkembangan pelajaran di negara kita kira-kira sama sederjat saja. Apabila perbandingan itu 200 dengan 20,000, maka ia memberi gambaran komannya mutu pelajaran kita. Kalau nilai pelajaran kita elok, mengapa sampai 20,000 orang mencari pelajaran ke Australia? Mengapa tidak belajar di sini saja? Mengapa tidak disediakan produk pelajaran yang menarik rakyat kita sendiri? Perbelanjaan belajar di luar bukanlah kecil. Dipercayai jauh lebih besar dari dalam negeri. Banyak mana duit kita mengalir ke luar? Dan apa kesannya kepada ekonomi kita? Biarkanlah semua persoalan itu, tidak usaha dijawab. Tetapi kalau pelajar kita berduyun-duyun belajar ke luar negeri, bagaimana hendak mengajak orang luar belajar di sini. Orang keluar begitu ramai kerana mereka tidak dapat yang mereka mahu dalam negeri. Orang Australia misalnya boleh bertanya, kalau beribu orang Malaysia belajar di sana, maka mengapa pula mereka hendak datang ke sini? Maka mungkin itu persepsi mereka. Dan mereka pun tentu mendengar tentang anggapan profesor kita antaranya dikatakan bertaraf professor kangkung saja. Kalau tenaga pengajarnya bertaraf kangkung, maka apakah tidak mungkin pelajar yang dikeluarkannya bertaraf taugeh pula? Tentulah ibu bapa Australia itu tidak mahu anak-anak mereka balik sebagai pelajar taugeh. Mereka mahu anak-anaknya balik menjadi manusia yang baik. Negara-negara luar punya kedutaan di sini. Tentulah duta-duta itu memberikan maklumat kepada rakyatnya tentang mutu pelajaran, kebebasan akadamik di university, peluang dan kemudahan belajar di sini dan sebagainya. Apa apabila mereka mendengar kisah akta AUKU yang mencengkam kebebasan siswa dan tenaga akadamiknya, maka tentulah ada persepsi guru-guru university dan institusi pejaran tinggi kita macam guru guru sekolah rendah saja. Tentulah mereka tidak mahu anaknya jadi pelajar dan graduan pasif macam lembu Kedah kalau dihantar belajar di sini. Mereka tentu ada maklumat tentang perbalahan dalam negeri antara hendak menggunakan pengajian sains dan matamatik dalam bahasa Malaysia atau dalam bahasa Inggeris? Sampai 50 tahun mereka isu bahasa penghantar di sekolah dan universiti belum selesai. Mereka dengar Inggeris diajar sejak darjah satu sekolah rendah hingga ke university tetapi bahasa Inggerisnya lemah. Maka siapa hendak menghantar anaknya belajar ke sini? Jika mereka hendak menguasai bahasa Inggeris, maka payah mereka ke sini. Maka yang hendak datang ke sini mungkin pelajar Nigeria dan beberapa negara Afrika lagi. Dengan banyak isu pelajaran yang tidak selesai, maka negara-negara maju terasa kalau mereka hantar anak ke sini sama seperti kita menghantar anak belajar ke Kenya, Uganda atau Pulau Maldives. Kita tak mahu hantar anak ke sana, maka payah mereka hendak hantar anak ke sini. Kalau kita hendak orang mengaji di sini maka reform dan transform dulu dasar dan mutu pelajaran kita. Kalau kita hantar anak ke New Zealand dan England, maka macam mana orang lain hendak datang ke sini? * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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