Saudi football fans are eagerly waiting to see if Saudi Arabia's tourism ambassador and World Cup champion Lionel Messi will sign up for local football club Al Hilal.
If he accepts the offer, they feel, it will be a historic moment for Arabs and will help "bring the world together".
Their hopes are high after the recent signing of Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo by the Saudi club Al Nassr.
Ronaldo's arrival helped Saudi Arabia to position itself as a top player in the sporting industry, under the directives of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The kingdom has already hosted high-profile events across various sports, and is now preparing to hold the 2029 Asian Winter Games at its new megacity, Neom.
Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki, who has said that "with leaders like King Salman, the Crown Prince, dreams come true", has recalled the time he was appointed.
"When I asked the Crown Prince, 'What's your expectation of me?', he said: 'Whatever you dreamt about, go and do it.'"
"The kingdom's efforts to establish itself as a big player helps the world recognise Saudi Arabia for its leadership and I think this is reflected across the board, sports being one of the major sectors," Tareq Alnassar, an entrepreneur and football enthusiast in Jeddah, told The National.
"I am a huge fan of Messi. My friends and brothers, we have travelled so many times to go watch Messi play in Barcelona.
"We never even thought this could be a possibility, but I can tell you Saudis can't wait for this dream to come true."
Al Nassr signed Ronaldo in December in a deal reported to be worth $220 million a year. His contract runs until 2025. He has scored 12 league goals since January.
"I remember my friends abroad would poke fun at Saudi Arabia for pitching for Ronaldo, and when he signed, they were all floored," said Jowhara Faisal, a graphic designer and football fan in Riyadh.
"It was unimaginable for the world and honestly a proud moment for every Saudi. Now bringing in Messi — the Goat, World Cup champion and the best player in the world — you can only imagine our pride and excitement."
Messi has reportedly received a formal offer to join Al Hilal next season. Rumoured to be worth about $400 million a year, it would make him the highest-paid athlete in the world.
"All these big moves are because of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," says Abdullah Albanawi, a Messi fan in Jeddah.
"It's a moment of pride for all Arabs. Ever since he came in and gave us the confidence, we dared to think bigger.
"I hope we get Messi. I love him and think he's the best player to ever exist. I would be the happiest man on the planet if he came over."
This month, Messi apologised to his current club Paris Saint-Germain after being suspended for making a trip to Saudi Arabia on what he "thought was a day off".
“I thought we were going to have a day off after the game as always," he said. "I had this trip organised and I couldn’t cancel it. I had already cancelled it before."
Messi, who was named the kingdom’s tourism ambassador in May last year, posted a picture on his social media of desert palms amid lush green fields.
It carried the caption: “Who thought Saudi has so much green? I love to explore its unexpected wonders whenever I can."
He is also seen exploring the capital, Riyadh, with his wife and children.
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nabil%20Ayouch%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nisrin%20Erradi%2C%20Joud%20Chamihy%2C%20Jalila%20Talemsi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
Wonka
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
