With the match ball safely tucked underneath his arm, a beaming Kylian Mbappe walked off the Estadio Jose Zorilla pitch soaking up the plaudits from fans and teammates alike.
The French striker had just scored all of Real Madrid's goals in a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid, his first hat-trick since a long-anticipated move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish capital was finally completed last summer.
After a stuttering start to his Madrid career, Mbappe appears to have hit the groove, scoring in each of his last five games across competitions, notching eight in total.
With second-placed city rivals Atletico Madrid having only drawn at home to Villarreal earlier in the day, reigning champions Real had opened up a four-point lead at the top of La Liga.
"I'm happy with the hat-trick but more happy with the win, I feel like I say that every week but it's the truth," Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.
"It was very important to win today after Atletico's result ... so we're happy and go back to Madrid with the victory."
The smiles in north-west Spain were a far cry to the grimaces in Basque-country at the start of December when Mbappe missed a penalty as Real fell to a frustrating loss at Athletic Club.
“He is not at his best level, but you have to give him time to adapt,” said Real manager Carlo Ancelotti after that match, which had come one week after a chastening 2-0 Uefa Champions League defeat at Liverpool when Mbappe had also failed to score from the spot.
That turned out to be a turning point for a player who is PSG's all-time top-scorer with 256 goals and will surely overtake Olivier Giroud's 57 to become his country's lead man. He currently has 48 in 86 games for Les Bleus.
“Bilbao did me good, because I hit rock bottom,” said Mbappe, 26, after starring in Real's 4-2 win over Sevilla in December. “Missing that penalty … I realised that I had to give my all for this shirt. Play with personality.”
“It was a good moment,” he added this week. “It changed my mentality. I couldn’t do worse: I could only go upwards.
“I was good physically, good with the team and the group but I had to do more and I knew that. It was a moment of, bam!, change everything. I didn’t come to Madrid to play badly.”
Mbappe has scored 22 goals in 32 games across competitions, while his 15 in La Liga is bettered only by Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who has 17.
“Mbappe is bringing a lot to the team, he's been getting into a rhythm for a couple of months and today, for the first time, he scored a hat-trick for us,” said Ancelotti on Saturday.
“He’s found his rhythm and that’s a plus for us because he’s a player with a lot of quality.”
“Spectacular,” added teammate Federico Valverde. “We've always trusted him and we've tried to help him to be comfortable and happy.”
Mbappe hitting top gear will be a welcome boost for Real in what has been an up and down season so far for the reigning Spanish and European champions.
While they currently enjoy a seven-point advantage over Barcelona in the La Liga standings, their old rivals have inflicted two brutal Clasico beatings on Ancelotti's men.
In October's clash at the Bernabeu, Real were thrashed 4-0, with all the goals coming in a disastrous second-half performance that ended an unbeaten La Liga run stretching back 42 games.
More Clasico pain was to follow earlier this month in Riyadh when Barca ran out 5-2 winners in a wild Spanish Super Cup final, despite Mbappe having given Real a fifth-minute lead.
Their Uefa Champions League defence has also proven problematic with Real currently 16th in the table, having won four and lost three of their games – the defeats coming against Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool.
Wednesday's final group-stage match sees Mbappe heading back to France to take on Ligue 1 side Brest when even victory might not be enough to guarantee a last-16 spot.
Only the top eight go straight through – Real sit one point adrift but with seven teams above them – with those that finish between 9th and 24th having to play a two-legged play-off to seal a knockout-stage spot.
Real at least go into the game on a hot-streak since that Super Cup final debacle, winning four on the spin, scoring 17 along the way, including five in the Champions League victory over Red Bull Salzburg last week.
Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior – who is suspended for Wednesday's game – were among the goals in that home win against the Austrians. “We'll never, ever have problems playing with [those three],” said Ancelotti, “which is why, for me, we need to concentrate on getting the teamwork and the defensive work right – then we'll be just fine.”
But the Italian is also aware that keeping alive their hopes of winning a 16th European Cup will almost certainly mean coming through the play-offs. “It’s almost impossible [to get into the top eight], he said. “We have to go to Brest, try to win and see how we are in the rankings.”
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The five pillars of Islam
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
The five pillars of Islam
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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)
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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