Yes, it’s true that Malaysia has never qualified for the World Cup. And yes, in the past decades, we have only been champions in the Southeast Asian region.
But did you know that one of Germany’s most lethal strikers in this year’s tournament, Thomas Muller, was actually discovered by a Malaysian?
(Germany's Thomas Mueller celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Brazil and Germany, July 8, 2014.- AP Photo)
Former Malaysian international footballer, Lim Teong Kim, trained a young Muller when he was based in Germany as the U-19 Bayern Munich assistant coach.
In fact, Muller even thanked Lim for developing his skills when he won FIFA’s Best Young Player award in 2006. So stake your claim Malaysia!
Also, remember the recent Thomas Cup tournament in India? The one where we lost at our best chance to win back the cup after 22 years?
Japan, who had never been a badminton powerhouse, beat the Malaysian team in dramatic and stylish fashion to win the cup for the first time ever.
But Malaysia shouldn’t be too upset about it. Kento Momota, their second singles player who thrashed Malaysia’s Chong Wei Feng in straight sets, had a coach.
And who would his coach be? Of course, it’s a Malaysian by the name of Izuan Ibrahim. So Malaysia can lay claim to winning the Thomas Cup as well!
Also, let's not forget how we tried to also lay claim to one of the world's best golfing talent, Fijian Vijay Singh, who lived in Malaysian for a few years before becoming successful.
He apparently applied for a Malaysian permanent residency but was denied. After he started winning international tournaments, one of our ministers expressed regret in denying his PR.
Or else we would have had a Malaysian PGA champion. Damn!
There is also Guy Sebastian, the Malaysian-born Australian singer who won top place at the Australian Idol television show and went on to be a best-selling musician.
(Recording artist Guy Sebastian attends Generosity Water's 5th Annual Night of Generosity Benefit at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sept 6, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. - AFP)
Sure, he was born in Klang in 1981. But his entire family migrated to Australia and they have been there ever since. But hey! He was born in Malaysia!
And more recently, another Malaysian-born person has made a name for herself. This time in San Francisco, United States of America.
Azalina Eusope, who said she left Malaysia to escape poverty, will be opening a kitchen called 'Azalina's Malaysia' in Market Square, where Twitter headquarters is.
She had to leave Malaysia because she felt there were no opportunities for her here. Lo and behold, after borrowing US$500, she can now be considered a success.
And Malaysia... we're oh so proud of her for making it. Why are we proud because she had to leave? Doesn't it mean that Malaysia just isn't that conducive?
Who cares? We claim her anyway.
So Malaysia really has achieved a lot. We just need to look deeper at how we contributed and then stake our claim loudly.
