The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| United and Barca beware: Kaka is back Posted: 25 Feb 2013 04:26 PM PST
FEB 26 — Who can remember Kaka? You know the one: tall, lithe and elegant Brazilian; talks a lot about Jesus; used to play football for a living. Used to play...? Hang on, after last weekend it appears that he still does. Furthermore, he still does it rather well indeed, and is now poised to take an unexpected part in some pretty significant games in the next seven days. Not so long ago, Kaka filled the gap between the retirement of Zinedine Zidane and the emergence of Lionel Messi in being widely regarded as the greatest player on the planet. His crowning moment came in the 2007 Champions League final when he produced a wonderful display to inspire AC Milan to victory over Liverpool, having previously scored three goals in the two-legged semi-final win against Manchester United. The effortless grace he displayed throughout his time with the glamorous Italian club — which saw him win the FIFA Ballon d'Or award in 2007 — was enough to entice Real Madrid to splash out €65 million (RM266 million) for his signature in the summer of 2009, making him the co-star in their new wave of Galacticos alongside fellow new recruit Cristiano Ronaldo. That, at least, was the theory. But the reality was very different as Kaka failed to reproduce the magisterial form he had routinely displayed in the red-and-black shirt of Milan once he started to pull on the all-white of Madrid. While Ronaldo dazzled, Kaka desperately disappointed. Hampered by a series of injuries — including a serious knee problem that kept him out of action for eight months — Kaka gradually became a marginal figure at the Bernabeu, a process that was hastened by the arrival of Jose Mourinho as manager in 2010. Kaka is very much not Mourinho's kind of player. Whereas the Portuguese boss prefers rugged, robust and physically strong performers, even among his creative talents (Ronaldo being a prime exhibit), the Brazilian playmaker is a graceful, balletic presence. He does not run across the pitch; he glides. He does not race past challenges; he dances away from them. He does not smash the ball into the net; he caresses it. His style of play would be more accustomed to Barcelona's short-passing game than the swift counter-attacking approach favoured by Mourinho at Madrid, and his opportunities in the team therefore quickly became limited. Throughout last summer, persistent rumours suggested that Kaka's stint at the Bernabeu was on the verge of coming to an end. A return to AC Milan was widely mooted, with the potential of a move to his native Brazil another possibility. Mourinho certainly didn't seem particularly keen to keep a player who was costing a fortune in wages without contributing a great deal on the field of play, and the manager made his feelings even clearer when he forked out a reported €38 million to sign Luka Modric, another midfield playmaker. Although the summer transfer window came and went without Kaka leaving Madrid — his high wages proving prohibitive to potential suitors — he played virtually no part in the opening weeks of the season, often failing to even make it onto the bench. And you could hardly blame Mourinho, because on the few occasions that Kaka did feature he played poorly, cutting a lost and disconsolate figure and barely exerting any influence on the action as he struggled to assert himself upon an unfamiliar playing system. It was sad to witness the demise of a once magnificent player, whose career appeared to have entered a terminal decline. He didn't start a league game until a meeting with lowly Celta Vigo at the end of October, and even then Mourinho hauled him off at half-time and he didn't reappear in the starting line-up until February — by which time Madrid had again tried, and again failed, to sell him during the January transfer window. Quite clearly, then, Kaka has spent the season far from the forefront of Mourinho's thoughts. But in the last few weeks a series of circumstances — Modric's poor form; Angel di Maria's inconsistency; the need to rest Mesut Ozil and Xabi Alonso — have given the veteran Brazilian another chance to impress, and this time he's taken it with both hands. Kaka started for Madrid in Saturday's 2-1 victory at bottom-of-the-table Deportivo La Coruna, and produced a man-of-the-match performance. Not only did he register his first league goal since last March for the equaliser — a vintage 20-yard curler — and then release Ronaldo with a sublime pass to set up Gonzalo Higuain's winner, perhaps more importantly he also played a decisive role throughout Madrid's strong second-half showing. He was at the heart of virtually every attacking move, directing the play and controlling the shape and structure of his team. Just like the good old days at Milan, everything was going through Kaka and everything he did was constructive, unlike his previous appearances under Mourinho, which bore the look of a man trying to fit in without ever feeling at home. It couldn't have come at a better time, because Madrid are now entering a season-defining run of games. Tonight: Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final (1-1 after the first leg). Saturday: Barcelona at the Bernabeu in La Liga. Next Tuesday: Manchester United at Old Trafford in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie (1-1 in the first leg). Although Mesut Ozil and di Maria are likely to be the preferred starters for Mourinho at the Nou Camp tonight, Kaka is now firmly within his thoughts as a strong option from the bench. There's a lot to play for, the Brazilian is back in the thick of things and it's surely impossible for neutral observers not to wish him well. From outcast to key man in the space of a month; maybe the final chapter of Kaka's marvellous career is yet to be written. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Posted: 25 Feb 2013 04:19 PM PST
FEB 26 — China's rise is changing the global landscape in ways that are unpredictable. Scholars are often divided about China's intentions and its goals when it comes to looking at China's foreign policy. The rise of China is always looked at in relation to the current global power that is, the United States. In short, "silence" is what seems to categorise China's approach towards dealing with other nations. They have consistently refrained from advising other nations on how to manage or control their country. For example, despite placing a substantial amount of investment in Africa, China withholds from instructing African nations on how to structure their respective governments in a certain way. This is, by contrast, unlike what the US does when they invest in other countries. There have been many calls for China to overhaul its foreign policy to prepare itself to be a global leader. After all China cannot deny its rise in light of the declining US, and therefore needs to take a more proactive stance. That is to say, China needs to prepare itself to take over the US position as the world leader. Given that China has been one of the few powers that never sought any expansionist measures in its foreign policy when it was at the height of its civilisation, this push towards being the new dominant power seems to be awkward for a culture that has never aspired to obtain such power. The question that remains is this: is the only progression of global power a situation where China takes over the US completely? Could it not be possible that the US maintain lead in some areas and China in others? There is a theory that states that stability of international order would only be achieved when there is a single dominant power in the global order. However, the very concept of power is a nuanced one, an idea put forward by political scientist Joseph Nye in his book "The Future of Power". Currently, the idea of power cannot be encapsulated by dominance in a single field. This is entirely new to us because before this, dominant states often held all power in all fields — this is because dominant states were also states with a strong military backing, and to get a strong military power states needed strong economic standing to fund military initiatives. Instead, we find that in today's world, the way the world is structured is far different than before. In terms of economics, there are a number of dominant states such as the US, Japan and China. In terms of pure political ideology and military strength, the US remains on top. China seems to be primarily motivated by economic dominance, a mindset that should not come as a surprise since the idea of prosperity is so deeply embedded within Chinese culture. It is with this cultural mindset that is likely to permeate through Chinese politics indirectly. Having understood that, perhaps there is no real need for China to usurp the US. There is no real pressure, besides that of rhetoric that is pushing China to becoming the next dominant political power. This is especially since the basis of our present global order has been shaped primarily by Western thought. China's reticence on issues pertaining to structuring governments indicates that there is some degree of reluctance on China's part to take over the US as a military power or an ideological power. This is not to say that China will never attempt to militarise to become a dominant political power. It could very well be the case in the future. However, given the current trajectory that China has taken — that is its constant assertions of peaceful development, its explicit statements for economic development, its foreign investments driven by economic motives — it is unthinkable that China wants to become an ideological power, the way the US is. Perhaps our world has advanced, and it is time to rethink a new global order where multiple powers can co-exist peacefully. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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