Shortly after Real Madrid lifted the Copa del Rey and a warm Saturday night in Seville spilt into the early hours of Sunday, the Madrid president Florentino Perez was grumbling about scheduling and praising the contribution to the final, a 2-1 win over Osasuna, of Vinicius Junior. “The best player in the world in his position”, Perez said of the Brazilian.
Vinicius had dazzled along his left flank. Both goals, scored by his compatriot winger Rodrygo, had their origins in jet-heeled Vinicius dribbles. He was tireless, too. Perez’s concerns about fatigue, with the Spanish Cup winners hosting Manchester City on Tuesday night in the first leg of a Champions League semi-final, were largely for other players.
Not the least of Vinicius’s virtues is his stamina. No Madrid player has been on the pitch for more minutes across the six competitions they, as defending Liga and European champions, have been involved in. He has played 46 matches, scored 22 goals and directly assisted another 21.
These are startling statistics, and were it not for the towering numbers attaching to Vinicius’ contemporary, Erling Haaland, Perez might have declared his man not just peerless as a left winger but as the best 22-year-old attacking footballer in the world.
The privilege for the Bernabeu is to see Haaland and Vinicius – 102 goals or assists between them this season – share a stage for the first time in careers that have climbed a similar, precocious trajectory while refining very different skills.
They were born nine days apart, in the first July of the new millennium, Vinicius Junior to a hardscrabble childhood in Rio de Janeiro, Haaland in Leeds, England. He would grow up being casually referred to as Haaland Junior, because his father, the Norway international Alfie Haaland, was a relatively famous player, and until this season, the best-known Haaland to have played for Manchester City, who he joined from Leeds United.
As gifted teenagers, preset pathways defined Vini Jr and Haaland Jr’s ambitions. Once Vinicius had made his debut in May 2017 in top-flight Brazilian football for Flamengo, accelerated up the ranks because of his speed and confidence with the ball, he was already committed to a career in Europe, the standard next step for talented South Americans.
When Haaland made his debut in the highest level of the Norwegian league, for Molde in June 2017, his potential as a centre-forward was already recognised and a plan to streamline his development sketched out.
Just as Madrid, who officially signed Vinicius on his 18th birthday, need no hard sell in recommending themselves to a Brazilian teenagers with a sense of flair – in Vinicius’s lifetime they have been the club of Ronaldo Nazario, Robinho and Kaka – Borussia Dortmund, with their reputation for trusting and nurturing young players, was an obvious destination for Haaland.
His springboard between Molde and there would be Red Bull Salzburg, another fine school for forwards and with participation in European competition guaranteed.
Haaland relished the Champions League from day one, his debut in it featuring a hat-trick for Salzburg against the Belgian club Genk. In the same 2019-20 group phase Vinicius scored the first of his 14 European Cup goals – against the Belgians of Bruges.
The upwards march since has been steep. Vinicius is now immortalised in Madrid’s decorated European Cup history as the match-winner in a final. Haaland calmly assumes the pressures of being earmarked to transform City from nearly-men in Europe to champions. “I’m here to try to develop the club, to try to win the Champions League for the first time,” he said after scoring five times in the last-16 tie against RB Leipzig.
If he makes the difference in this semi-final, he will be easily cast as the decisive X-factor. A year ago, City looked favourites to win the Champions League until Madrid eliminated them with an extraordinary comeback.
Haaland joined City the following month. With his 51 goals – 12 of them in eight Champions League matches – so far, he can look back with amusement at early criticisms that he seemed isolated, registering low numbers of touches with the ball.
Vinicius can also smile about the times when he was derided within Madrid for taking too many touches, not adding end-product to his dribbles.
For Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid’s manager, the policing of Haaland is Tuesday’s major headache, with his most trusted marker at centre-back, Eder Militao, suspended. And for Pep Guardiola, the City manager who has been experimenting with variations to his right-back position, with John Stones operating in a fluid role and Kyle Walker, the specialist, dropping down Guardiola’s hierarchy, the threat of Vinicius demands a clear-eyed tactical plan.
The years Ramadan fell in May
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where%20the%20Crawdads%20Sing
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOlivia%20Newman%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daisy%20Edgar-Jones%2C%20Taylor%20John%20Smith%2C%20Harris%20Dickinson%2C%20David%20Strathairn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Scoreline
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (53')
Atletico Madrid 1
Griezmann (57')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on animal trafficking
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More on animal trafficking
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
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
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
RESULTS
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Masaali, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Almoreb, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Imprison, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Raahy, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Cross The Ocean, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m. Winner: Sa’Ada, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash.
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
