Having signed for Tottenham as an awkward-looking, bony-armed beanpole in July 1998, Peter Crouch never managed to turn up on the radar of then manager George Graham and was sold to QPR two years later for a mere £60,000 (Dh363,279) having never played a game.
Nine years later, almost to the day, he was driving back to the English capital from Portsmouth with a £9million price tag on his head, 34 England caps and a chance to prove the club were wrong to break his heart all those years ago.
On Tuesday, the England striker completed the full cycle in a nomadic career that has seen him experience the lows of relegation with Southampton in 2005 to the highs of a Champions League final appearance for Liverpool in 2007 by rejoining the club who ruthlessly axed him as a teenager.
It sees Crouch reunite with the north London side and manager Harry Redknapp, under whom he played with at Southampton and, more recently, Portsmouth, for a third time.
Crouch looks certain to spearhead a three-pronged attack with fellow returning prodigal sons Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe - although unlike Crouch's return, Spurs collected a significant profit upon welcoming back the diminutive duo in January.
And when you sit down and examine them closely, Crouch and Spurs are a partnership made for each other.
Crouch, like Spurs, is ridiculed and revered in equal measure.
His ungainly physique and giant frame, often belie the tools of a man with an astute touch, a cerebral awareness to bring others into the game and a fondness for hearing the ball pound the back of the net.
Spurs, the butt of jokes for every club outside the top four of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United for spurious claims before the start of every season that they will challenge that monopoly, finished last season with their reputation restored thanks to the leadership of manager Redknapp.
Just two points from the first eight league games before Redknapp took the reins, the club finished a credible eighth in the Premier League with the board promising the manager a sizeable war chest to establish the club among the best in England's top flight.
And it seems Redknapp sees the best way to do that is to welcome back some old boys to give them a second shot at restoring pride to the cockerel perched on top of White Hart Lane.
Redknapp has always favoured a "little and large" combination up top, a marriage that has served him well at former clubs West Ham (John Hartson and Paul Kitson), Southampton (James Beattie and Kevin Phillips) and Portsmouth (Crouch and Defoe).
But Keane, who was made captain last term due to Ledley King's uncertainty of a starting position because of a chronic knee complaint, is unlikely to play second fiddle to Defoe - the scorer of the only goal against West Ham in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Beijing yesterday - while the latter is also likely to see his name in the starting XI significantly more than his first spell at the club, with both occupying roles in support of their new gargantuan frontman.
The club's Latin motto is Audere est Facere (To Dare Is to Do). Crouch's signing promises at least to give Spurs fans hope for the new campaign that they have a side steeped in the club's traditional values of entertaining, attacking football.
But don't expect too many to pipe up about this year being "the year" Spurs break the top four's stranglehold, they've walked into that minefield too many times before.
sluckings@thentional.ae
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
West Indies v England ODI series:
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas.
Fixtures:
1st ODI - February 20, Bridgetown
2nd ODI - February 22, Bridgetown
3rd ODI - February 25, St George's
4th ODI - February 27, St George's
5th ODI - March 2, Gros Islet
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5