Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan’s column will be written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.
I don’t think anyone expected Chinese clubs to be the main movers in the January transfer window.
China is not a country you associate with football. Despite having the world’s biggest population, they do not regularly qualify for World Cup Finals, though football is becoming a priority.
I was still surprised that the Colombian striker Jackson Martinez moved from Atletico Madrid to the Guangzhou Evergrande this week. Even more surprised at the huge €42 million (Dh170.8m) fee which broke the Asian transfer record.
Martinez, who is a player I like, is not yet 30 and at the peak of his career. He only moved from Porto to Atletico Madrid six months ago, a move which made sense after his form in Portugal and the Uefa Champions League. Now he’s moving to a league which is not even in the best 10 in the world.
He is going from playing for a team competing for the Primera Liga and the Champions League to a league with a much lower standard.
It seems crazy. He was the biggest Atletico signing of last summer and cost €35m. Now he has been sold for a big profit, though things were not going well for him in Spain where he only scored twice.
Atletico fans were hardly protesting. They can use the money and few clubs scout as well as my former club as I explained in my last column.
So why did he move and what is his motivation?
MISSED ANY OF DIEGO'S PREVIOUS COLUMNS? FIND THEM ALL HERE
Money is taking players to China — and there’s a lot of money being spent by Chinese teams. Five of the biggest seven deals in the transfer window were by Chinese clubs.
All were eye-opening. Ramires went from Chelsea, while Fredie Guarin and Gervinho moved from Inter Milan and Roma respectively. Former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill, Demba Ba, a striker who has played in the Premier League with Chelsea, Newcastle, and West Ham, and Asamoah Gyan, the former Al Ain forward, are already in China.
Luis Felipe Scolari, Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning coach, will be Martinez’s manager, while Brazil internationals Robinho and Paulinho will be teammates.
Only the Premier League spent more on players this season.
Unlike Major League Soccer (MLS) in America, which is using a combination of grassroots coaching and the recruitment of high-profile players towards the end of their careers to raise standards, China are making headlines by buying big name players at their peak from big clubs.
With the greatest respect to the lesser leagues, going there used to be the place to go towards the end of your career. You would never get back playing for a top club.
Things are changing. Samuel Eto’o, my old nemesis when it came to the top goalscorer award in Spain, joined Anzhi Makhachkala in the Russian Premier League. He played there for two years and then went to Chelsea and Everton.
The Russian league is stronger than China, but I think more players will go to Asia and then return to play in major European leagues. It is not conventional, but it is possible.
It takes time to adjust to any league, but Martinez could come back to a European team and get up to speed. That is what you lose when you drop a level, the reflexes from playing alongside people who have much faster speed of thought.
COMMENT: Ramires, the rise of Chinese football riches, and the bad news it spells for UAE and the rest of Asia
I went to Japan, a more competitive league than China, when I was 34 and I really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t have gone there at 29, but at that stage in my career the different lifestyle appealed and of course money was a factor. The club wanted a high profile player, ideally a forward. It was part marketing and I was fine with that. Clubs are in the entertainment business.
It is the same in China. Do Guangzhou Evergrande really need Martinez, the player? Not really. They could buy thousands of professional players who would be better than the players they already have, but in signing a major name from a major European club, it puts them on the map and makes people talk about them.
One player cannot make a huge difference to a team and if China really wants to raise the standard of football then it needs to start with developing players at youth level, but that takes time and it is not as exciting as an expensive new signing.
It shows that China wants to be serious about football. It is the world’s most populous country with the second biggest economy, yet the national team lags behind other Asian nations.
Football is the most popular game in the world. It gets attention for countries. Many people know of Uruguay because of what the football team has done in World Cups. The population of Uruguay is three million. China is 1.3 billion. We reach World Cups, China does not.
Chinese investors are spending money around the world and the same is true in football. They own 13 per cent of Manchester City and 20 per cent of Atletico. The connections are being made, but China is not a particularly attractive league for a player at the moment. No kid in South America dreams of playing in China like they do in Europe, so money is the way to compensate for that.
China is making football more attractive for Chinese people. They spend a lot of money bringing the biggest European teams on pre-season tours and, with three weeks left until the Chinese transfer window closes, there could be more surprises.
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
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Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
