Fabio Cannavaro is regarded as one of the most formidable defenders in football history and at the tail end of his career on the field, the Italian legend had a stint playing for a UAE team.
The GCC has become somewhat accustomed to seeing international star players play in its leagues, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kante and Karim Benzema all joining Saudi teams in recent years.
But in June 2010, Cannavaro announced he was joining Dubai’s Al Ahli Club, a move that many considered a shock signing. The then-captain of the Italian national team signed a two-year contract with Al Ahli Club. He had led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, where he was also named Fifa World Player of the Year. He was the only defender in history to be given the accolade. He also won the prestigious Ballon d’Or, awarded annually to Europe's best player.
At the time of his Al Ahli signing, Cannavaro had taken part in four World Cups, the 1996 Summer Olympics, two European Championships, as well as the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup. And in 2010, he brought that trove of experience to Dubai. By August 2010, he was seen training with Al Ahli at Rashid Stadium in Dubai.
Cannavaro made 16 appearances with Al Ahli Club, scoring two goals – a solid feat for a defender. However, the Italian’s stint as a player with Al Ahli would be short-lived. In July 2011, Cannavaro announced his retirement from football citing a knee injury; doctors said he could not play again.
It seems, however, that Cannavaro was not done with football, nor Al Ahli Club. In August of that year, he was made the club’s global brand ambassador and technical consultant. Two years later, in July 2013, he kicked off his managerial career by becoming first team coach, while Romanian football manager Cosmin Olaroiu became head coach. In his first season, Cannavaro led Al Ahli to titles in the UAE Pro League as well as the UAE League Cup.
From 2014, Cannavaro would go on to coach other clubs in the Middle East and China. He was appointed head coach of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr FC in 2015, the manager for the China national team in 2019 and became head coach of Italian club Benevento in 2022. He was appointed head coach of Italian club Udinese in April this year.
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Results
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
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
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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What%20is%20Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons%3F%20
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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
