It is the sprints, ball at his feet, that catch the eye, that push the speedometer’s needle so it twitches up above 36 kph. But there’s a good deal more to Mohamed Amoura, flag-bearer for Algerian football’s next generation, and a star on the rise just when his country needs one.
Besides the acceleration, he has a springy leap from his low base. Witness the most spectacular of the goals Amoura has been decorating the top flight of Belgian football with this season, a dashing overhead kick that, back in November against FC Bruges, truly established the 23-year-old as the man to build a title-chasing team around.
That team, Union Saint-Gilloise, or USG, on Thursday seek to extend their reputation as the sharpest-eyed, best-run talent-spotters in European club football’s middle tier, up against Turkish heavyweights Fenerbahce in the Uefa Conference League, with a quarter-final place at stake over the two legs, the first of them in Brussels.
An "anti-Amoura plan" is anticipated by USG’s coaching staff, such has been the impact of the striker since he joined them last summer. They suspect the Fenerbahce defence will sit a little deeper to counter those sprints; and perhaps some extra-robust marking of Amoura to examine any brittleness in his temperament.
Further along the road, USG are making post-Amoura plans, acknowledging that, as one of the game’s hottest young prospects, he may no longer be spearheading them beyond this season’s likely Belgian league title – the club have an eight-point lead at the top – the Belgian Cup final – USG’s first in more than a century – and wherever the Conference League adventure ends.
The hope is to emulate, at least, last season’s run to the quarter-finals – they lost 5-2 to Germany's Bayer Leverkusen over two legs in the last-eight of the Europa League in 2023.
USG, only promoted from Belgium’s second division in 2021, are propelled by an enviable upward mobility, but so are the talents they expertly scout.
Last season’s leading scorer, the Nigerian Victor Boniface, was sold to Leverkusen, where he is on course to win the 2023/24 Bundesliga, for more than €20 million. Union had bought him, from the Norwegian club Bodo-Glimt, for €6 million just 11 months earlier.
Amoura’s valuation is charting the same trajectory. He cost around €4 million, from Lugano in Switzerland, last August; there’s interest in him from the Premier League, from France and major clubs in Italy and Germany.
“He’s got the characteristics to thrive in Germany or Italy,” believes Nordin Jabri, the Belgian-Moroccan former international turned television analyst. “What coaches see, beside the goals and the pace, is that he has the capacity to keep running and running to press the opposition.”
“He’s been an absolute blessing for the Belgian league,” enthuses Philippe Albert, Jabri’s former teammate in the Belgium national team and a fellow pundit.
Amoura will turn 24 in May, and, as he admitted in December, the ascent has often seemed as dazzlingly fast as one of his swift breaks from the halfway line.
“Four years ago, I was fresh out of a little club in Algeria and now I’m an established first-teamer here,” he told reporters. “It makes me want to tell young Algerian players they too should believe in themselves.”
It has been an inspiring journey, and mould-breaking in a period when, for aspiring footballers across the Maghreb, it can look more and more like the fast-track to elite-level success is through a European club academy and indeed through an entire hothoused upbringing in Europe rather than in North Africa.
Like the successful Morocco squad who reached the 2022 World Cup semi-final, Algeria, Africa Cup of Nations winners in 2019, have a large proportion of European-born-and-raised players in their senior national side. Some previously represented France at age-group level; almost all learnt most of their football amid the coaching dogmas and the high-grade facilities of European club academies.
Amoura represents a different route to becoming a professional. “I come from the mountains,” he says of his roots, in Taher, near Jelil, eastern Algeria.
His father worked on farms; his own love of football grew from playing in streets, and, in his early teens, became a vocation only once he had found allies to offer him a place a stay so he could enrol at training with the youth teams of JS Djijel, a club in Algeria’s regionalised lower divisions.
He endured setbacks, like a rejection from the Paradou academy in Algiers. Arouma suspects his height – he’s a diminutive 1.68 metres – counted against him.
But he kept dribbling, kept refining his tricks, and found his way to ES Setif. There, he scored on his senior debut, aged 19. He finished his first full season at Setif with 17 goals.
Lugano recruited him, and after very few training sessions he had a new nickname. Teammates called him “little Salah,” for his speed, his confidence on the ball and for the career parallels with Mohamed Salah: a North African prodigy signed young by a Swiss club, as the Egyptian was by Basel.
The Lugano chapter had its frustrations, Amoura often used as an impact substitute when he’d have preferred to start games. But USG looked less at the number of minutes he played that what he did with them.
The Belgian club applied the mix of observational expertise and data-driven metrics they have pioneered in scouting to feel sure of Amoura’s potential to develop. “They’re a club who for the past three years have built teams really effectively and with flair,” says Albert.
In Amoura’s case, the flair is carefully curated. “He’s an out-of-the-ordinary player,” adds Albert, “and the key challenge is to preserve the spontaneity in his game. He’s about so much more than just speed. He’s two-footed and has a real poise in his finishing.”
The statistics, in this his first season in a new league, speak for that. Amoura’s 17 league goals for USG have been scored at one every 80 minutes on the pitch, a rate comparable to Harry Kane for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and a little more frequently than Kylian Mbappe for Paris Saint-Germain.
Granted, those two feted strikers are working in stronger domestic competitions than USG operate in, but Amoura can expect soon enough to be keeping the same sort of elite company.
He can look forward to a more prominent role with his national team, too. Algeria’s new manager Vladimir Petkovic, appointed following Djamel Belmadi’s departure in the wake of a dismal Afcon in January, has a manifesto for renewal.
Supporters are eager for an attacking figurehead to succeed Riyad Mahrez, the standard-bearer when Algeria were Africa’s champions but much criticised in recent months and dropped by the end of the last Afcon campaign, where Amoura was only called into action once Belmadi’s men were sliding towards an ignominious group-phase exit.
“It’s important to start afresh,” says Petkovic. Time for the starlet from the mountains to lead his country’s uphill climb.
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 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
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m, Winner: Zalman, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Qader, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
8pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nayslayer, Bernardo Pinheiro, Jaber Ramadhan
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
Abu Dhabi racecard
5pm: Maiden (Purebred Arabians); Dh80,000; 1,400m.
5.30pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,00; 1,400m.
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA); Group 3; Dh500,000; 1,600m.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (Thoroughbred); Listed; Dh380,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA); Dh70,000; 1,400m.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
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
The view from The National
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
