Matches like the 2022 World Cup final are what make the planet’s favourite sport so addictive. “I love football,” said the hero of a fabulous game and the most watchable player of the 21st century. His Argentina side had, at last, lifted the trophy he spent a glittering career chasing.
“I want a few more games as a world champion,” added Lionel Messi, overcome with second thoughts about previous declarations that he would step back from international football once the tournament was over.
His beaming manager, Lionel Scaloni, celebrating his own rollercoaster rise from novice to admired alchemist of an Argentina concocted from callow youngsters, ageing warriors and a single genius, went further. He will not say farewell to his captain willingly. Messi, who will turn 39 soon after the 2026 World Cup begins, has a place “reserved” for him there if he chooses, promised Scaloni.
Didier Deschamps, France’s losing manager will also be welcome to patrol the touchlines of North America at the next World Cup if the boss of the French Football Federation, Noel le Graet, has his wish. Deschamps’s longed-for Treble – after World Cup-winning captain in 1998, victorious manager in 2018 – slipped tantalisingly away in a penalty shoot-out. But the possibility that it has merely been postponed is alive.
Seldom has Deschamps looked so hassled and animated as he did over the first hour of Sunday’s epic ebb-and-flow, and then through a double French comeback, first from 2-0 down, and then from 3-2 in arrears.
Yet for all the stress – and even a physical injury: Deschamps hurt his thumb in some sort of impact with an object so badly during half-time he needed a bandage – France’s coach is hooked on the adrenalin of nights like these. “I’ll have a meeting in the new year,” said Deschamps of whether he stays on in a job he has done for more than a decade. It is his to extend if he wishes.
The temptations are many. France made a poor start to the final, Deschamps second-best to Scaloni. But France had also had a wretched lead-in to their defence of the title, injuries to Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Lucas Hernandez and Christopher Nkunku testing the reactive instincts of Deschamps and presenting him with fresh, stimulating challenges.
He passed most of them. France may have lost the final on the tiebreaker shoot-out, but in the second of the two gripping hours of open play, he acted skilfully. France’s substitutions made an impact, and like Scaloni, Deschamps watched his superstar, three-goal Kylian Mbappe, respond to the mounting pressure.
By the end of the night, Deschamps had been presented with more evidence that a France national coach fishes in a wonderfully deep pool of emerging talent. Mbappe and his other game-changers, the substitutes used on the night, will all be still in their 20s when the next World Cup begins.
Players who now have fewer than 10 caps to their names are shaping up as fine support-acts for Mbappe. The last month has been quite an adventure for the likes of Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram, drafted in as late World Cup reserves, but central to the drama at the Lusail.
What France came up against was an Argentinian support-act equally worthy of Messi’s greatness. It was made up of the young and rapidly-promoted, such as Alexis Mac Allister, Julio Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez, and vital older allies like Angel Di Maria, 34.
Di Maria, picked to start after a tournament hampered by injury, earned the penalty for Messi’s opening goal, and, in a throwback to the distant past, provided the finish to a move initiated by Messi’s skillful use of the ball while on the turn. Precisely those elements, and those two players, won Argentina the Olympic gold medal in 2008 in Beijing.
Last summer in Rio de Janeiro, a Di Maria goal earned the Argentina of Messi their only Copa America title. Messi is may have been king of these spread-out successes, but Di Maria is his everlasting lucky charm.
In as little as ten days time, Mbappe and Messi will be together again in the capital of France, teammates fully expecting to win another French league title with Paris Saint-Germain, aiming for a Champions League success, as the club season abruptly imposes itself back on a calendar into which a winter World Cup was squeezed.
The unorthodox timing of the event turned out not to be a rude interruption. Qatar 2022 provided a higher quality of games overall than its predecessor. It had a higher ratio of the unpredictable – in Morocco’s stylish progress, in Japan’s ambushes on so-called heavyweight nations – but also emphasised the sharp differences between elite club football and its international cousin.
Argentina beat France in World Cup final: Player ratings
The elaborately-practicised drills and choreographed pressing that characterise so many successful club teams are conspicuous for their rarity in country-versus-country football. There, coaches have their players on site for so little time that such detailed rehearsal is impossible. In international football, you cannot reach for the chequebook and simply buy the best-fit player to suit a tactical plan.
The most polished, monied club teams will always have a slickness in their work that a national coach envies. But there are compensations. Messi may have been adored in Barcelona most of his working life, but the love of all of Argentina is felt more powerfully. Deschamps appreciates, even in defeat, that managing a gifted national team gives him a level of passionate support no other job can.
He also knows that whoever manages France at the next World Cup will have the blessing of a 27-year-old Mbappe. He must suspect, too, that even if Messi is still active, into his 40th year, a coronation like Sunday’s is unrepeatable. It will probably take a generation, at least, for another World Cup final as marvellous as that.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
Company%C2%A0profile
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My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan(wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
Twenty20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Jawan
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
