Cristiano Ronaldo broke another record on Thursday when he became the most-capped player in men’s international football.
Ronaldo, who scored twice in his 197th appearance for Portugal, is a household name and one of the world’s biggest sporting stars.
But the record he beat was from a far less well-known player — Kuwait’s Bader Ahmed Al Mutawa, who has 196 international appearances.
Here is everything you need to know about the Kuwaiti veteran.
Qadsia club legend
Al Mutawa was born in Kuwait in 1985.
He joined the most successful football club in Kuwait’s history, Al Qadsia Sporting Club, as a youth player in 1994.
He graduated to the senior team in 2002, and made his debut aged 17, playing as a striker.
Al Mutawa went on to play more than 250 games for Qadsia, and reportedly scored more than 150 goals.
During his career with the club, he helped them win eight Kuwait Premier League titles, six Kuwait Emir Cups, and various other domestic trophies.
Qadsia also won the regional GCC Champions League for just the second time in its history in 2005, finishing one point ahead of the UAE’s Al Wasl.
Al Mutawa spent two brief periods on loan during his career with Qadsia. In the 2006-2007 season he reportedly played one league game for Qatar SC in Doha, before returning to Qadsia.
In 2010-11, Al Mutawa was loaned out to Al Nassr — the Riyadh club currently captained by Ronaldo. He scored three goals in nine league appearances for the club, which had a difficult season and finished fifth.
In 2012, Al Mutawa had a brief trial at English club Nottingham Forest. Manager Sean O’Driscoll was reportedly impressed by Al Mutawa during his month of training with the club, and he played in a friendly against West Brom, in which Nottingham Forest News said he “looked lively".
However, issues with work permits prevented the club from signing Al Mutawa, and he returned to Qadsia.
He has played in every season since, including 14 appearances in the current season.
Al Mutawa was nominated for the 2006 and 2010 Asian Footballer of the Year award but lost out on both occasions.
International career
Al Mutawa made his debut for Kuwait in 2003. He scored in his first game and quickly impressed Brazilian coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani, becoming a regular starter.
He played in the Arabian Gulf Cup that year, which was hosted by Kuwait, and scored in his team’s only victory in the tournament.
The striker led Kuwait to victory in the 2010 Arabian Gulf Cup, finishing as joint top scorer with three goals, including one in the semi-final against Iraq. It was Kuwait’s first Arabian Gulf Cup title since 1998.
The national team has not qualified for the Fifa World Cup during Al Mutawa’s playing career, but he has scored 12 goals in World Cup qualifiers. He also represented Kuwait in qualifiers for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
In total, Al Mutawa has scored 56 goals and is the country’s third top scorer, behind Bashar Abdullah with 76 and Jassem Al Houwaidi with 63.
In 2021, aged 36, he became the most capped international player in the world, overtaking Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan with his 185th appearance.
His achievements were recognised by Fifa and he was granted an award by the head of the Kuwaiti Football Federation.
His most recent appearance for Kuwait was in June in a 3-0 loss against Jordan. This was his 196th appearance — now one less than Ronaldo’s 197.
Other Arab players with record appearances
Arab players are a notable presence in the list of male footballers with the most international appearances.
Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan is currently the fourth most-capped player, with 184 appearances for his country between 1995 and 2012.
One appearance behind him is Oman’s Ahmed Mubarak, who played 183 games between 2003 and 2019.
Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Al Deayea has 178 caps for his country, while Jordan’s Amer Shafi has 173 — the same number as Lionel Messi for Argentina.
Qatar’s Hassan Al Haydos (171 appearances) and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Khilaiwai (163 appearances) are also both in the top 20.
The UAE’s most-capped player is Adnan Al Talyani, with 161 appearances, placing him equal 23rd in the list globally.
Al Talyani played as striker and scored 52 goals for the UAE between 1982 and 1997.
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Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Oppenheimer
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Rawat Al Reef, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Noof KB, Richard Mullen, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: UAE Arabian Derby – Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Dergham Athbah, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Emirates Championship – Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Irish Freedom, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
