As Real Madrid brought a 14th European Cup back to the Spanish capital, first to the city’s Almudena Cathedral, then to the Cibeles fountain where they celebrate their trophies before the Bernabeu, the respect for one man was clear.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti may be self-effacing but he enjoys these celebrations. On Saturday in Paris, just after the 1-0 victory over Liverpool, he promised he would sing at the Cibeles and at the stadium with the fans, then he is set to take a summer break in his home on Canada’s west coast.
Sunday’s celebrations followed another after Madrid won La Liga at the start of May, when he was pictured in shades smoking a cigar with the smiling Madrid players.
“No, I don’t smoke cigars,” he said after, just for clarification. “It was only a photo with my friends. Yes these players are my friends.” And how you believe it when you see how he gets by with a little help from his friends.
A year ago, Ancelotti’s Everton side lost their final game of the season 5-0 and finished tenth. It wasn’t seen as a success then, though it looks a little more respectable after their struggles this season just finished.
The 62-year-old walked out of Everton for Madrid – as most would – but they were uncertain times at the Bernabeu. Madrid didn’t lose money during the pandemic like most clubs, but there were expectations in some quarters that they would given the huge cost of redeveloping their stadium.
That, and the loss of key players in recent years from Cristiano Ronaldo to the sidelined Gareth Bale, to defenders Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. The team were in a rebuild phase where they weren’t expected to add to their record 13 European Cups as they welded together a new Madrid of stellar emerging talents like Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Others like Martin Odegaard, Sergio Reguilon and Achraf Hakimi were sold because Madrid needed money, especially as there were no takers for Bale’s vast wages. Neighbours Atletico were champions, two English teams had contested the 2021 Champions League final and Real were building up a fund to sign Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe in 2022.
Liverpool v Real Madrid player ratings
The season was expected to be a transitional one and there were other issues for the Italian. Who knew how long Toni Kroos, Luca Modric, or Karim Benzema, 33, could go on for?
Ancelotti knew better than most and he improved Madrid. They scored more goals, played better football and won more games. The Italian fixed the problems in their defence.
Other pillars of great Madrid sides remained hugely important. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and La Liga’s leading scorer Benzema were their best performers, along with Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior and his compatriot, central defender Eder Militao.
Benzema might be favourite for the Ballon d’Or after his Champions League heroics, but Courtois was the man of the match in the final, the one who attracted the most effusive of Ancelotti’s praise.
“I said to Thibaut before the game – I’ve got you to the final, now it’s time for you to win it,” Ancelotti said. “And that’s what he did.”
Ancelotti become the first man to win the European Cup four times after success with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007, and Real in 2014 and now 2022.
Real fans party in Spain
And they did so having overcome Paris Saint-Germain, holders Chelsea, Manchester City and finally Liverpool along the way. Ancelotti’s side needed good fortune, they needed Benzema at one end of his team and Courtois at the other, but Madrid win Champions League finals. It was their fifth in nine years since Ancelotti’s side dramatically beat Atletico in Lisbon in 2014. Madrid have won all five.
Ancelotti didn’t stay at the club after the 2014 win. The Bernabeu managerial fuse is a short one and less than a year after he claimed the tenth European Cup they had tried to win for 12 years, they sacked him.
“Real Madrid always do things which appear to have no logic,” said Diego Forlan, the former Manchester United, Atletico and Inter striker. “That’s what Madrid do. They sack managers when they’ve won the European Cup, they sell some of their best players at their peak. Everyone shakes their heads at Madrid, but everyone pays attention to Madrid at the same time.”
He wasn’t short of offers.
“Ancelotti, is experienced, speaks many languages and he’s wise,” Forlan told The National. “He could settle in most places, he’s a fine coach and he was a success at Madrid, a club who couldn’t get beyond the last eight in the Champions League for eight years including while I was in Spain.”
And now he’s won his fourth European Cup as a manager. Bob Paisley won it three times, Zinedine Zidane also. Ancelotti becomes one of seven men who have been a champion of Europe as a player and a manager. You have to go back six decades to find one where the didn’t have his hands on the European Cup.
After his playing career finished amid too many injuries, Ancelotti did his badges, wrote his coaching thoughts in a paper saying that football needed to be more dynamic, and became assistant to Arrigo Sacchi for the Italian national side between 1992-95. Then he went alone with Serie B Reggiana and led them to promotion before Parma signed him in 1996.
“I loved working with him at Parma,” said Jesper Blomqvist. “I improved as a player under him. I was shocked when he was sacked.”
Juventus hired him. They were considered the best team in the world and he had Antonio Conte, Didier Deschamps, Zidane, Filippo Inzaghi, Zoran Mirkovic, Paulo Montero and Igor Tudor to manage. All became managers and referenced him, yet Juventus sacked him after two seasons and only an Intertoto Cup to show for it.
Milan called and in eight years he made them great again.
“His 2005 Milan side were better than his 2007 one,” says former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher. “Their midfield was the key: Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf and Kaka. I think the secret to their success was Ancelotti changing the system to a midfield diamond to suit the players. He’d been brought up on the 4-4-2 of Arrigo Sacchi.”
But Milan were caught in a storm. The rise of the Premier League knocked Serie A off its perch as football’s richest league, while the 2008 financial crisis hit southern Europe hard including Italian club owners.
High tax rates meant that Italy continued to lose players and managers. Ancelotti went to Chelsea for two years and won the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2010. PSG followed for two years. They hoped he could help the win the Champions League, but, as has been the trend with their subsequent managers, he managed only Ligue 1.
Then it was that first Madrid spell, before he replaced Guardiola at Bayern and won the Bundesliga in 2017. He took a year out, coached Napoli in 2018-19 and Everton for two years between 2019-21.
Madrid announced their team for the final two hours before they were required to. Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez once said of Real: “Madrid have their system and there are some things I actually envy: their optimism, that cockiness they have that allows them to tell you with absolute conviction: ‘We. Are. Going. To. Beat. You.”
They had that in spades in Europe this season, despite not being considered the best team in Europe. Except officially, they are.
Ahead of the game in Paris, Jurgen Klopp said: “Carlo is one of the most successful managers in the world and he’s a role model in terms of how he deals with success – one of the best people you could ever meet.”
After it, Klopp hugged him and congratulated him, the most successful manager in European football history.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WTL%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3EDECEMBER%2019%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EKites%20v%20Eagles%0D%3Cbr%3EAliassime%20v%20Kyrgios%0D%3Cbr%3ESwiatek%20v%20Garcia%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Tiesto%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDECEMBER%2020%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFalcons%20v%20Hawks%0D%3Cbr%3EDjokovic%20v%20Zverev%0D%3Cbr%3ESabalenka%20v%20Rybakina%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Wizkid%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2021%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFalcons%20v%20Eagles%0D%3Cbr%3EDjokovic%20v%20Kyrgios%0D%3Cbr%3EBadosa%20v%20Garcia%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Ne-Yo%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2022%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EHawks%20v%20Kites%0D%3Cbr%3EThiem%20v%20Aliassime%0D%3Cbr%3EKontaveit%20v%20Swiatek%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20deadmau5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2023%20(2pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EEagles%20v%20Hawks%0D%3Cbr%3EKyrgios%20v%20Zverev%0D%3Cbr%3EGarcia%20v%20Rybakina%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Mohammed%20Ramadan%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2023%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFalcons%20v%20Kites%0D%3Cbr%3EDjokovic%20v%20Aliassime%0D%3Cbr%3ESabalenka%20v%20Swiatek%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Mohammed%20Ramadan%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2024%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFinals%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Armin%20Van%20Buuren%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
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SPEC%20SHEET
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M2%2C%208-core%20GPU%2C%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.3-inch%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201600%2C%20227ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%3B%20Touch%20Bar%20with%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206%2C%20Bluetooth%205.0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2058.2Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2020%20hours%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%2C%20ProRes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Stereo%20speakers%20with%20HDR%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20support%2C%20Dolby%20support%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Pro%2C%2067W%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh5%2C499%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
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
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
ARGYLLE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Matthew%20Vaughn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Bryce%20Dallas%20Howard%2C%20Sam%20Rockwell%2C%20John%20Cena%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Results:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Ekhtiyaar, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
Winner: Spotify, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: UAE Oakes | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Mythical Image, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Major Partnership, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
