Robert Lewandowski wore a wry grin. Whatever he tried, his first goal for Barcelona was stubbornly absent. A shot skimmed over the crossbar. Thumping efforts were kept out by the New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. “He’s frustrated,” admitted his head coach, Xavi Hernandez, after Saturday’s friendly, “but the goals will come.”
A few hours earlier, in Leicester, Pep Guardiola was giving Erling Haaland the same reassurance. Haaland had missed a wonderful chance, fluffed a connection with a cross and ended up on the losing side in his competitive debut for Manchester City, the Community Shield against Liverpool.
“Another time, he will put it in the net,” said Guardiola, the City manager, of his club’s new centre-forward. “It’s good for him to see the reality in a new country and a new league.”
In the country and the league Lewandowski and Haaland have just left, you’ll hear few doubts that the ex-Bayern Munich striker, lured to Barcelona, and the former Dortmund prodigy, signed by City, will rack up plenty of goals in the months to come.
In the Bundesliga, which begins its 60th season on Friday, Haaland and Lewandowski were the outstanding global stars who set breathtaking records.
Lewandowski‘s 41 goals in a single league campaign, set in 2020-21, shattered a landmark that had existed for nearly half a century. Haaland struck a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut, aged 19, having been introduced as a 56th-minute substitute for Dortmund.
Haaland never looked back: his average strike-rate across his two-and-a-half years in Germany’s top division was better than a goal per game. Ditto Lewandowski’s hit-rate in six of the last seven seasons.
To be deprived of both, one in the mature stage of his career - Lewandowski turns 34 this month - and the other, 22-year-old Haaland, with his future prospects towering, deals a double blow to the the Bundesliga’s prestige, a blow worsened for Dortmund, perpetual challengers for the title by the news that Sebastian Haller, the Ivory Coast striker bought from Ajax to replace Haaland, has been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Haller will undergo chemotherapy and is given a strong chance of full recovery but will be out for several months.
More responsibility, then, on the young shoulders of Karim Adeyemi, who has followed a similar path to Haaland’s to Dortmund: a breakthrough at RB Salzburg in Austria; a step up at a young age - the quicksilver Adeyemi, already a full Germany international, is 20 - to a club renowned for accelerating the progress of precocious footballers.
Last week, as Dortmund beat 1860 Munich 3-0 in the German Cup, Adeyemi found himself making his competitive debut for the club as part of a front six that included three teenagers: the impressive Jude Bellingham, a worldy 19, the prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko, 17, and the English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who turns 18 next week.
All of them, and the Dortmund head coach, Edin Terzic, who has returned to the club after a previous spell as caretaker, look up at Bayern and see that, even post-Lewandowski, the champions of the last 10 year look very much like champions-elect.
Sadio Mane, recruited from Liverpool, has had no adjustment issues, judging by his competitive debut. Mane scored the second goal in a 5-3 victory over RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup at the weekend. “Outstanding,” said head coach Julian Nagelsmann of Mane’s influence. “He’s down-to-earth, hard-working and a leader in the dressing-room.”
Bayern have strengthened in central defence, with the €67 million ($68.6m) signing from Juventus of Matthijs de Ligt, in midfield and at full-back with the captures, from Ajax, of De Ligt’s Dutch compatriot Ryan Gravenberch and Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui. “We go into the season feeling good,” said Nagelsmann.
Back in the top flight are wounded giants Werder Bremen and Schalke, the latter still Germany’s third-biggest club by support-base and partially recovered from their disastrous relegation of 2021. They, like Hamburg, former European champions now embarking on a fifth successive season marooned in the second division, are a warning that size guarantees little in a league that, beneath Bayern and Dortmund, can be perilously fluid.
Hertha Berlin, the club from the capital with pretensions of grandeur, must be wary of that. They skirted the drop via a successful promotion-relegation play-off against Hamburg in May, and go into Saturday’s derby against upstarts Union Berlin, fifth last term, having already been knocked out of the Cup by lower-league Eintracht Braunschweig.
Dortmund meet Bayer Leverkusen in a meeting of last season’s second and third-placed clubs, while, on Friday, Bayern kick off matchday one at Eintracht Frankfurt, the Europa League holders and, for that success, one of five Bundesliga clubs who will be in the group stage of the Champions League - evidence that while the star strikers may have left Germany, its league has ample strength in depth.
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
more from Janine di Giovanni
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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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
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
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
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
