He was the teenage sensation who lit up Euro 2024, now Lamine Yamal carries the weight of expectation on his shoulders as Barcelona look to dethrone Real Madrid as champions of Spain.
Yamal only turned 17 a day before the European Championship final on July 14 but ended it as one of the stars of the tournament as Spain claimed a historic fourth continental crown with a 2-1 win over England in Berlin.
Spain set a new record by winning all seven of their games at the Euros, with Yamal providing some memorable moments including one of the goals of the tournament in the 2-1 win over France in the semi-finals.
He played an important part in the final, too, supplying the assist for Nico Williams to fire in Spain's opening goal.
Attention now turns to club duty with Barcelona under new coach Hansi Flick.
The German replaced club legend Xavi at the helm and welcomed new arrival Dani Olmo last week, but last season's La Liga winners Real Madrid signed superstar French striker Kylian Mbappe earlier this summer.
The forward joins Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and other star names to ensure Barcelona begin the season as firm underdogs to Los Blancos.
The Catalan giants won nothing last season and surrendered their Spanish crown in a deeply disappointing campaign, but Yamal's emergence shows there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Barcelona will rely on their young stars to try and compete with the might of Carlo Ancelotti's Champions League winners.
Madrid picked up their first silverware of the season on Wednesday, with Mbappe scoring on debut in a 2-0 Uefa Super Cup final win over Atalanta.
Barca will have been buoyed by their win over Madrid during a pre-season tour of the United States, but were brought crashing down to earth on Monday by Monaco, who enjoyed a 3-0 win in the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy curtain-raiser at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium in their final friendly.
"We didn't play with our normal speed or normal combinations, we lost a lot of balls," said Flick afterward. "But in the end, it is pre-season. I know the team can play much better than today."
Barcelona begin their Liga campaign with a trip to Valencia with Flick's squad decimated by injuries. Midfielders Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong are all sidelined, as well as centre-back Ronald Araujo, which means he starts the season with depleted ranks.
On Wednesday there were unconfirmed reports that Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, was stabbed in a car park in the north-eastern Spanish town of Mataro. La Vanguardia newspaper, citing officials familiar with the matter, described his diagnosis was “serious”.
A separate report, by sports website Relevo, also citing official sources, said Nasraoui had been discharged from hospital and was back at his home.
Despite Yamal's emergence on the world stage, and amid unconfirmed reports his father, Mounir Nasraoui, was stabbed in a car park in the north-eastern Spanish town of Matar on Wednesday, expectations of a title assault are much lower than in previous seasons.
Yamal, who made his Barca debut at 15, is a fan favourite among the Catalan faithful, with his performances inevitably leading to comparisons to club legend Lionel Messi.
With Sergi Roberto departing after 14 years in the first-team squad, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen takes the armband as Barcelona captain.
"I hope the fans are with us all year because many good things are ahead of us," the German said.
Barcelona are planning to return to their renovated Camp Nou stadium midway through the season if building works stay on track, which will be a welcome boost for demoralised fans.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
The five pillars of Islam
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
SHAITTAN
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Honeymoonish
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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
AUSTRALIA%20SQUAD
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UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
