The God's Given Lionel Messi - messilegend

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Coach Everyone Will Remember

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is probably a coach that everyone will remember for long after guiding Barcelona to six titles in 2008/2009. Maybe he will replace Alex Ferguson next season. A move to Manchester United is good for him. But will it be good for Barcelona? Only time will tell. Being a Barcelona fan, I hope he will stay for at least 3 years instead of 1.

Guardiola - A coach that knows how to preach beautiful football and enjoy the game!

Anyway, scored five goals for yesterday's games. What a day! :)

Guardiola to extend deal by one year

BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has agreed to extend his contract with the Spanish and European champions by one year to the end of next season, president Joan Laporta said yesterday.

“We had a meeting last night and Pep Guardiola told me he was committed to staying for at least one more season,” Laporta said at a news conference with Guardiola and sporting director Txiki Begiristain.

Guardiola would sign his new contract on July 1st after elections for a new president had been held, Laporta added.

“What we are announcing today is the guarantee and compromise that Guardiola is prepared to stay on,” he said.

Guardiola, who turned 39 on Monday, led Barca to an unprecedented six trophies in 2009, including the Spanish league, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. — Reuters

Monday, January 18, 2010

Messi the Youngest to Score 100 goals for Barcelona

Had some great games of football yesterday. Hope to improve more for the following games. Not 2 forget, Barca did a great job against Sevilla to go 5 points clear at the top of La Liga. Cheers!! Guardiola, sign ur contract now ok. :)

Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla: Messi Makes His Century As Barca Breeze To Victory

Barcelona eased to a 4-0 victory at the Camp Nou against Sevilla in a dominant performance. A Julien Escude own goal opened the scoring before Pedro doubled the lead, but some excellent goalkeeping from Andres Palop prevented the score from becoming embarrassing. Lionel Messi completed the scoring with two goals in the final 10 minutes.

The hosts started typically comfortably on the ball and could have taken an early lead when Thierry Henry set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic following a superb ball by Andres Iniesta, but the Swede could only shoot feebly wide from five yards.

Messi had a shout for a penalty in the 10th minute when Lolo appeared to pull him back in the penalty area, but referee Delgado Ferreiro waved away the appeals. Moments later, another excellent ball set Henry through on goal, but Palop raced out of his penalty area and blocked the shot well.
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The home side were dominating proceedings, knocking the ball around with ease on the slick surface, but were being frustrated by a solid Sevilla backline. In the 20th minute, Iniesta went on a mazy run that was almost Messi-esque before teeing up Dani Alves, but the Brazilian could only find the side netting.

Sevilla had barely been able to get out of their own half in the first 30 minutes and could easily have gone behind but Carles Puyol's header landed on top of the net from a Xavi corner. Just after the half hour mark, Messi hit a 20-yard shot that was deflected wide, and this time Puyol's header was blocked by Palop.

With 10 minutes until half time, the veteran keeper pulled off an excellent save from another deflected shot by Messi to tip it over the crossbar. Marc Valiente was struggling to deal with the Argentine's danger and was booked for a foul that would have been more at home on a rugby pitch.

As the rain continued to pour in the Camp Nou, Puyol slipped to allow Arouna Kone to have a sight on goal but his strike went out for a corner, Sevilla's first of the game. It was the 38th minute.

Nonetheless, the visitors were starting to come forward a little more as the half time whistle approached. Some good play by Kone and Jose Carlos set Jesus Navas through, but the angle was too tight to shoot and his touch was too strong as he attempted to round Victor Valdes. Despite some late Barcelona pressure, the half ended goalless.

Los Nervionenses made a double change at the break, with Diego Capel and Aldo Duscher replacing Jose Carlos and Valiente. Rafa Marquez also came on for the hosts after Puyol couldn't shake off an injury.

Kone nearly stunned the Camp Nou just after half time when he beat Marquez and Pique, but Valdes closed the angle and the ball was hooked clear of danger.

In the 49th minute, the hosts took the lead in fortunate circumstances. Marquez received the ball on the right wing and after Pique had got the slightest touch on the low cross, Julien Escude could only stab the ball into his own net.

It was nearly 2-0 two minutes later. Messi received the ball 35 yards from goal after a superb run by Dani Alves, but after running into the area Palop saved the Argentine's shot with his boot. Shortly after, Ibrahimovic played the ball back to Henry in the penalty area but the Sevilla keeper was able to make yet another save.

Ibrahimovic thought he had scored in the 54th minute, but he was correctly flagged offside after heading in from a matter of feet.

Barcelona were rampant, and the Camp Nou faithful were on the edge of their seats as the home side launched attack after attack. Manolo Jimenez took a gamble by taking off Abdoulay Konko for Adriano in an attempt to reverse the tide, but Henry continued to pose a threat on the left flank and tested Palop's reflexes in the 62nd minute.

In the 67th minute there was mayhem in the Sevilla penalty area. Messi was free in the box and brought another save from the outstanding Palop, before the next shot was blocked and Ibrahimovic's shot was cleared off the line. Substitute Pedro then had a chance after Abidal's cut-back found him 10 yards out, but it was straight at Palop.

The Sevilla keeper was finally beaten for a second time with 20 minutes to go. The pass from Xavi was perfect as Marius Stankevicius tried to step up for offside, but Pedro raced clear and chipped over the advancing Palop.

Sevilla looked a beaten side, and were content to sit back and let Barcelona knock the ball around between themselves to the rhythm of the olé's coming from the crowd.

As the game ticked into its final 10 minutes, the fans were growing impatient as they waited for the third goal, which arrived in the 85th minute. Messi picked up the ball from another Dani Alves cross and could barely miss from 10 yards out to score his 100th goal for the club.

The frustrations of los Nervionenses' stopper were plain to see as the hosts continued to caress the ball around the pitch. Kone had a shot blocked in the 90th minute, but the threat from the visitors had been negligable throughout.

The game was wrapped up in the 91st minute when Abidal played Messi through, and the world's best player slid the ball effortlessly past Palop. It was a sublime performance from the Spanish, European and world champions as they brushed the Champions League contenders aside.

Monday, January 11, 2010

The Best Job in the World

In my opinion, the best job in the world is the job that u love, that u look forward to every day, that you wont mind working long hours, that you would talk about most of the time, and that would not make you tired but happy and satisfied. Warren Buffett loves his job that he tap dance to work. And he's always looking forward to the next day.

So, if you dont meet the above requirements, maybe you should change your job now. :)


By Soo Ewe Jin - I HAVE met many parents who, in recent years, want their children to take up actuarial science. I know people who are actuaries and they are well-paid, contented individuals who can find work anywhere in the world.

So it must be a joy for these people to read a report in The Star on Jan 7 that the best job in the world currently is that of an actuary.

Okay, maybe not in the world, but certainly in the United States, as rated by
www.careercast.com, a well-regarded job search portal.

The worst job? According to the list, that would go to the roustabout, someone who performs routine physical labour and maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines, both on and offshore. You can also find taxi driver and garbage collector on this list.

By coincidence, there was also an article in the same issue of The Star about Ben Southall, who became an international celebrity when he won the Best Job In The World contest.



Southall, if you recall, beat 34,000 entrants, including a Malaysian who was on the shortlist, to get this posting on picturesque Hamilton Island off the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.

But if you think he did nothing but laze around the beach all day with his girlfriend, consider this. According to the report, Southall worked seven days a week and up to 19 hours a day. He visited 90 “exotic locations”, made 47 video diaries, and gave more than 250 media interviews – including a chat with Oprah Winfrey.

He also posted more than 75,000 words in 60 separate blogs – the equivalent of a small novel (or 150 Monday Starters) – uploaded more than 2,000 photos, and “tweeted more than 730 times”.

And you know what? He has done such a good job that his contract which ended on Jan 1 has been renewed.

Tourism Queensland has just offered him a new 18-month, six-figure (in Australian dollars, of course) contract to promote the state worldwide.

Well, these two stories did get me thinking about what really are the best and worst jobs in our country.

Are the best jobs the ones that pay the most and give you the most company benefits and media publicity?.........

Read the full article here: Have a sense of belonging and you’ll love your job

Messi's First Hattrick of the Season!




Messi hat-trick leads Barcelona, Madrid also wins

MADRID (AP) - Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barcelona routed Tenerife 5-0 on Sunday to maintain its two-point advantage in the Spanish league after closest rival Real Madrid also won, beating Mallorca 2-0 thanks to goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Esteban Granero.

Alejandro Alfaro had three good chances to put the hosts ahead but the Tenerife striker hit the crossbar on the first occasion and goalkeeper Victor Valdes foiled his other two efforts from inside the area.

Those missed chances proved costly as Messi scored the opener in the 36th minute after receiving the ball from Bojan Krkic inside the area.

The recently crowned world player of the year then turned provider, as it was his free kick from the right that Carles Puyol headed home in the 44th and, a minute later, Andres Iniesta broke out of the midfield, spotted Krkic down the left side and the teenage striker again set up Messi for an easy tap in.

The Argentina international joined Valencia's David Villa as the league's joint leading scorer with his 12th goal of the season to complete his hat-trick in the 75th after curling a left-footed shot from outside the area over goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses into the top corner. Ezequiel Luna completed the rout with an own-goal in the 85th.

In contrast to the balmy weather at Tenerife's Heliodro Rodriguez Lopo stadium, Higuain helped Madrid keep the pressure on Barcelona with a victory in steady snowfall in the Spanish capital.

The Argentina striker darted in from the right and across the edge of the area before curling a left-footed shot around goalkeeper Dudu Aouate into the top corner for his 11th goal of the season.

Higuain then slipped past his defender in the 50th and crossed to Granero who volleyed past Aouate from close range.

Elsewhere, Valencia beat last-place Xerez 3-1 to stay third, while Deportivo La Coruna was a 1-0 winner over Osasuna. Barcelona leads the table with 43 points, Madrid has 41, Valencia 35, Deportivo 31 while Sevilla and Mallorca are both on 30. Madrid welcomed Kaka back from injury in a high-tempo game played in blustery conditions at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"It was a complicated game not only for the weather conditions but for team changes, like the additions of (Fernando) Gago and Kaka, who had a great game against a very motivated rival," Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini said. "We played a very complete game."

Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez returned for the first time since October, replacing Xabi Alonso in the 84th after the Madrid midfielder limped off. Alonso and Rafael Van der Vaart, who came off for Granero in the 21st to a calf injury, will undergo medical scans on their injuries.

A minute's silence was observed for the three people who died during an armed attack on the Togo team bus at the Africa Cup on Friday.

At the Chapin Stadium in Xerez, Juanma Mata put Valencia ahead after 11 minutes before Carlos Calvo equalized for Xerez in the 25th from a counterattack.

Valencia regained the lead in the 33rd as David Villa drew the defense before crossing to David Silva, who looped a left-footed shot over Soares. Carlos Marchena sealed the win in the 69th as the burly defender burst into the box and fired a dipping shot over Soares.

"In any other season, with this amount of points, we could have been leading or close to it," Valencia coach Unai Emery said after his side left Xerez rooted to the bottom of the table after its sixth straight defeat. Deportivo maintained its bid to qualify for European competition next season as Juan Rodriguez scored the only goal of the game against Osasuna in the 50th, swiveling to meet Andres Guardado's center.

Osasuna was reduced to 10 men from the 67th when midfielder Javad Nekounam was red carded. Fernando Llorente scored a 79th-minute penalty to rally Athletic Bilbao to a 1-1 draw at Malaga, which went ahead from Welington's 48th-minute header.

Diego Castro's 39th-minute goal saw Sporting snap a four-game winless run with a 1-0 win over Getafe, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Fernando Marques jumped on a loose rebound in the 71st to score the winner in Espanyol's 2-1 victory over Zaragoza. Joan Verdu took advantage of a goalkeeping error to put the hosts ahead in the 13th before Javier Arizmendi equalized for Zaragoza, which stayed second bottom, in the 40th.

On Saturday, Atletico Madrid won 4-0 at Valladolid, Almeria rallied for a 1-1 draw against Villarreal and teenager Sergio Canales scored both goals as Racing Santander beat Sevilla 2-1.



Messiah is going 2 retain his FIFA World Player Award! :)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Mumbling?

In a big city like KL, I need to drive fast and dangerously.



In a small village like mine, I can drive as slow as I walk.

And I dont need to use the Hon, even if an 80 yrs old folk is crossing the road.

Maybe thats why I like my kampung.



Maybe I am small, but that doesnt prevent me from thinking big.