One of elite football’s most lauded business models comes to Newcastle on Wednesday evening, entitled to proudly survey its record as a nursery for talent but concerned about how far that can take a club up the hierarchy of the modern game.
Last May, Borussia Dortmund came within goal difference of ending the longest run of domestic titles in any major European league, Bayern Munich’s 11 successive Bundesligas. Now, Dortmund find themselves bottom of their Champions League group.
Their bad luck is to have been planted in the toughest of the first-phase pools. As Dortmund’s in-form attacking midfielder, Julian Brandt, noted of Group F, headed by Newcastle United, “this group is so wild, anything can happen”. Exhibit one: Newcastle 4, Paris Saint-Germain 1, on match day two, a result that stunned the seeded French club, who on Wednesday take on seven-time European Cup winners AC Milan.
What is quite liable to happen, by the time all the group’s clashes of established – and aspiring – heavyweights are played out is that a former Dortmunder will have had an influence on who ends up in a qualifying spot. On Wednesday, the chance is Alexander Isak’s.
Isak joined Dortmund in early 2017, a tall, wiry teenager nimble on the ball and scouted in his native Sweden for his high potential as a centre-forward. The interest from Dortmund was attractive. Here was a suitor with an excellent reputation for nurturing young attacking talent.
He joined during a productive period for Dortmund’s well-run recruitment department. A young American named Christian Pulisic had recently been elevated to the first-team squad, Dortmund having brought him across the Atlantic at 16 years old. In the previous transfer window, Ousmane Dembele had arrived, a prodigiously gifted French winger who had impressed at Rennes.
The rest is history, part of the bittersweet pattern that Dortmund supporters are used to. Their privilege is to watch young, outstanding talent shine and develop. Usually they then say farewell while those starlets are still on the rise. They waved off Erling Haaland, sold at a 200 per cent profit by Dortmund in the summer of 2022 and promptly watched him win his and Manchester City’s first European Cup.
A year later, Jude Bellingham departed after a three-year stay that started as a 17-year-old. In the last two months Bellingham – sold to Real Madrid for €70 million more than the €30 million that had moved him from Birmingham City to the Bundesliga – has been collecting a series of man-of-the-match awards in the colours of Madrid.
In this line Pulisic has a prominent place, sold at 21 to Chelsea for €64 million, as does Dembele, who joined Dortmund for €35 million at 19 and a year later was moving to Barcelona for a staggering €135 million. Their career paths since give Group F an extra twist.
Pulisic joined Milan this summer, and is their joint leading goalscorer, hoping to take some of that Serie A momentum into Europe, with Milan yet to score in Group F. Dembele, meanwhile, is seeking his first goal since moving from Barcelona to PSG in August.
In this line of stars for whom Dortmund was a common springboard, Isak is the odd man out. After an initial season with the youth and reserve Dortmund teams, Isak would spend two frustrating years deprived of first-team opportunities. By the time he left, for a loan at Willem II in the Netherlands, he had made just one Bundesliga start.
“It was perhaps not the right moment for him with us,” admitted Dortmund’s director of sport Sebastian Kehl. “Alex took a small step back and then a huge step forward.”
The catalyst was a move to Real Sociedad, from where Newcastle set a then club record fee to sign Isak at the beginning of 2022-23. Sociedad had paid €15 million to Dortmund in 2019. It proved a shrewd buy. Among Isak’s 44 goals for the Spanish club were match-winning contributions to the club’s Copa del Rey triumph of 2021.
“It was a big change for him when he came to England,” acknowledged Eddie Howe, the Newcastle manager. “Because the style of play and our style is different.”
There was also a long layoff with a thigh injury last season. “It probably helped him actually,” said Howe. “It gave him a chance to sit back, watch the team and understand the expectations.”
Isak has approached his second season at Newcastle with no signs of trepidation. An Isak goal knocked Manchester City out of the League Cup last month. He has scored six times in eight Premier League appearances. Speaking after a rugged display against PSG, in which Isak played with a bandaged head after a collision with Lucas Hernandez, Howe praised the courage and will to win of the Swede.
“I’ve seen a real desire off the ball from Alex to press, to work, to set standards from the front in terms of how we play off the ball. He’s been terrific.”
Newcastle United v PSG player ratings
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
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 specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%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
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Manchester United v Young Boys, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
