The first distinguished figure Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show from as a senior professional was Jose Alvalade. Alvalade, the grandson of a viscount, was a major figure in the formation of Lisbon’s Sporting Clube, and a former Sporting president who gives his name to their current stadium. On an August evening 18 years ago, Manchester United were invited there to inaugurate the arena.
By the end of their 3-1 defeat to Sporting, the late Senhor Alvalade, the stadium and assorted stars such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand had all been upstaged by a teenager determined to write all the headlines. Ronaldo had prepared for the occasion by dying blond highlights into his hair.
His feet did the rest. His marker, John O’Shea, finished up with a “migraine”, according to the then United manager Alex Ferguson, who immediately resolved to push through a bid to sign the 18-year-old Ronaldo that United had already been contemplating.
Through half a lifetime since then, Ronaldo has been stealing the show everywhere he has been. His debuts - the latest should take place on Saturday, when he is expected to make the first appearance, at home to Newcastle, for United since rejoining them last month - tend to be grand entrances. He scored in his first home Champions League match for Juventus, after joining the then Italian champions for around €100 million in 2018. That was against United. He had already set up a goal on his home Serie A debut.
At Real Madrid, who Ronaldo joined for more than €100m from United in 2009, he scored on his debut, a penalty in a 3-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna. His Champions League debut for Madrid? Two goals away at FC Zurich.
Another double followed shortly after he had stood to attention for the Champions League anthem for the first time in a Madrid shirt at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Olympique Marseille the victims of his insatiable appetite for goals.
There would be 450 goals spread across his nine seasons at Madrid. They came at a rate of better than one per match, so it is not at all fanciful to imagine that Ronaldo’s first outing for United since his return will feature his name on the scoresheet.
Last season, his 29 Serie A goals came at an average of one every 97 minutes. And that was down on his hit-rate for 2019-20, when he scored 31 Italian top-flight goals at a goal every 94 minutes.
As a form guide, that is stunning. So is his activity already this month. Last week, Ronaldo set yet another record, for the highest number of goals of any man in international football, with his brace for Portugal against Ireland, taking him to 111 for his country, surpassing Ali Daei’s 109 for Iran. There will almost certainly be more goals for Portugal. CR7 intends to continue as captain of his country until at least the 2022 World Cup, when he will be 37.
He might have had a hat-trick against Ireland, but had a penalty saved early in a match where Portugal then fell behind, trailing until the 89th minute. The comeback was all down to the serial show-stealer, two headers from Ronaldo, the second, in stoppage time, ensuring Portugal top their qualifying group with three games to go.
But that failure from the penalty spot set off a small murmur. United’s Bruno Fernandes was on the pitch at the time. He bows to Ronaldo in the national hierarchy for spot-kick responsibilities, and given that Ronaldo converted three penalties during Euro 2020, that hierarchy is well set. But it remains to be seen who steps up when United are awarded their next penalty and both Portuguese are on the pitch. Bruno has a 93 per cent success rate from the spot.
Ronaldo will certainly claim a high place in United’s hierarchy for direct free-kicks, a specialism, although it’s a less effective one that it was earlier in his career.
Show-stealer he may be, by instinct, but he values winning more than personal glory. His former United teammate Owen Hargreaves tells the story of a conversation before the 2008 Champions League final after Ronaldo had observed Hargreaves was in a fruitful groove with his direct free-kicks. “You should take the first one,” Ronaldo, the first choice for set pieces within range of goal, told Hargeaves.
That night Ronaldo scored the opening goal, with a header, and in the penalty shoot-out to settle a close contest against Chelsea, his effort was saved. United still won, Ronaldo still picked up the first of his five Ballon d’Or trophies that season. His intention is to steal the show often enough while back at Old Trafford that he collects his sixth.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELaura%20Terruso%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20De%20Niro%2C%20Sebastian%20Maniscalco%2C%20Kim%20Cattrall%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
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
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
