On the cusp of his 100th match in a Real Madrid jersey, Brahim Abdelkader Diaz finds himself totting up the many medals so far, surveying how many more might be added in the coming months but still counting his minutes on the pitch with a little frustration.
Morocco’s Brahim should this evening reach his centenary of games for the most successful club in Europe, with an expectation that the first leg of Madrid’s Spanish Cup semi-final at Real Sociedad inches them closer to that trophy.
After that, there's a glut of high-stakes fixtures in which Brahim should feel as vital as perhaps at any time in his career in Spain.
The Madrid media have lately taken to calling him ‘The Fantastic Fifth’, a double-edged compliment. It elevates the 25-year-old to a sort of associate membership of the celebrated ‘Fantastic Four’ quartet who have regularly formed the forward line since Kylian Mbappe last summer joined Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo at the club.
But it implies Brahim occupies a place a little lower in the hierarchy, somewhere between super-sub and first reserve when any of Mbappe, Vini, Bellingham or Rodrygo are unavailable.
In a clogged-up calendar, with rest and rotations essential, being the Fantastic Fifth is no minor role. For Brahim the centurion, the vista ahead is especially busy.
After the Copa del Rey assignment on Wednesday in San Sebastian, where Mbappe’s participation is in doubt following minor dental surgery, Madrid go to Real Betis to resume what is developing into a gripping defence of their Liga title – they are locked on 54 points with leaders Barcelona, with Atletico Madrid a single point behind – and then confront Atletico next Tuesday in the last-16 of the Uefa Champions League.
Bellingham is suspended for both the league and European games. The clear message to Brahim from head coach Carlo Ancelotti is that responsibility to link the front three with the rest of the team will fall on him.
Ancelotti spelled that out to Brahim immediately after Madrid had completed their 6-3 aggregate victory over Manchester City in the play-off round of the European competition last week, a win the Moroccan had played a key part in.
Trailing in the first leg at the Etihad by 2-1, Madrid brought Brahim off the bench with six minutes of normal time remaining. He’d been on the pitch barely two minutes before he equalised, against his former club, with an alert volley. Barely eight minutes after coming on, he was congratulating Bellingham on stealing the first leg 3-2.
These are the sort of interventions Ancelotti values. Brahim’s knack of transforming a tight knockout tie helped Madrid to the Champions League title last season – he struck the decisive goal in a tense last 16 tie against RB Leipzig – and he has been the driver of their 2024/25 Copa del Rey run, setting up goals in every round.
“He’s very important for us,” says Ancelotti, “because he can play across positions, and he helps out a lot in midfield. He’s going to have a more prominent role this season. I would certainly never think of him as a back-up. He always brings something to the team however many minutes he plays.”
At almost any other club, Brahim would be a certain starter, week in, week out, Ancelotti believes. "Here, we’re talking about the best squad in the world,” said the Italian on Tuesday, addressing a perceived exasperation at a lack of minutes on the pitch for the talented young Turkish playmaker Arda Guler, whose place on the ladder is well below Brahim’s. “Everyone wants to be playing, but there’s a process for all young players. They need to understand that.”
Brahim, born in Malaga, has learnt that process. He joined Madrid as a teenager from City, where he had graduated from the academy to win a Premier League title in 2018.
He was then still a prospect rather than the finished article, and would be loaned out to AC Milan to further his development after his first year-and-a-half at the Bernabeu, where he had picked up a Liga title in his first full season.
A Serie A winners medal would follow at Milan. There Brahim developed physically, his upper body strength making him even more effective at holding off close markers while making his nimble turns, a trademark forte, as is his equal comfort using both right and left foot. He finessed the defensive aspects of his game in Italy, too, as Ancelotti noted.
City, Milan, Madrid: Brahim had won the English, Italian and Spanish leagues plus two Champions League gold medals by his mid-20s. But perhaps the most significant direction he took in his career path was putting his signature, just under 12 months ago, to the Fifa document that enabled his permanent international switch from Spain, where had played at various youth levels and in a single senior friendly, to Morocco.
His father’s family are from North Africa, and he spent a large portion of his childhood in Morocco. His impact with the Atlas Lions has been spectacular. His six competitive caps so far have yielded seven goals and two assists.
His numbers as Ancelotti’s go-to problem-solver are also impressive. When he has stood in for Bellingham’s absences in the 18 months since Bellingham signed and Brahim returned from Italy, he has scored eight goals and set up another seven. That’s from 17 starts.
His overall numbers from his 99 Madrid games are 18 goals and 19 assists, an impact that looks even better when you consider that’s a direct goal contribution every 113 minutes – 55 of those appearances were as a substitute.
He’d prefer to be starting more often than his average of once in every two games, but there’s an appreciation that when his coach leaves him on the bench, it’s with the firm intention of using his fifth musketeer. Every time Brahim has been named among the Madrid substitutes this season, he has seen some action.
He’s also been assured, by Madrid’s bosses, that reaching 100 games for the club should be considered merely a first century – and that by the time he notches up his double hundred, it will be as far more than the star number five of a feted front four.
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
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)
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Ukraine%20exports
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20permanently%20excited%20synchronous%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E516hp%20or%20400Kw%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E858Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E485km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh699%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
