Manchester City on Saturday announced that former Newcastle United and Portugal winger Hugo Viana will replace Txiki Begiristain as the club's sporting director at the end of the season.
The club said that Begiristain will leave at the end of the current campaign, bringing an end to a 12-year association that has seen the club become the dominant force in English football.
A statement on the club's official X, formerly Twitter, account read: "Manchester City can confirm that Txiki Begiristain will step away from his full-time role as Director of Football at the end of the 2024/25 season.
"Following a trophy-laden twelve years at the Etihad Stadium, Txiki will leave his current post following the Club’s involvement in this summer’s Fifa Club World Cup and will be succeeded by Hugo Viana of Sporting CP.
"Viana will begin his full-time role in the summer of 2025, but will collaborate with Txiki in the preceding months to ensure a smooth transition.
"We look forward to paying tribute to Txiki’s outstanding contribution to Manchester City at the end of the season."
Viana is well-regarded in Portugal where he is the sporting director of Sporting of Lisbon.
He is familiar with English football having signed for Newcastle United 20 years ago from Sporting following a breakthrough season in Portugal.
He is well known to UAE football fans, too. After spells in Spain with Valencia and Osasuna and back in his homeland with Braga, Viana joined Al Ahli (now Shabab Al Ahli) in 2013, helping them win the league, Super Cup and Arabian League Cup.
After making 27 appearances over two seasons, Viana switched to Dubai rivals Al Wasl in 2015, playing 37 matches.
Viana retired in 2016 and began his next career as a sporting director the following year with Belenenses, leaving after just six months. In 2018, he returned to Sporting, the club where he began his career, as their director of football.
His return coincided with a big improvement in the club's fortunes, and in 2021 they won a first league title in 19 years and were also crowned champions last term.
Viana's work in player recruitment at Sporting put him on the radar of several top clubs. The Lisbon outfit have operated at a €200 million profit over the past five years, thanks to the big-money sales of the likes of Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Porro, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Nunes.
Viana’s credentials in the transfer market are likely to be a key reason why he is City’s choice at what feels like a key time for the club.
City face 155 charges brought by the Premier League over alleged breaches of financial rules. City deny all the charges.
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Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
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Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AIR
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Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
