The trouble, when a club is as skilful at scouting talent, polishing it, and selling it on as Borussia Dortmund are, is that the old boys almost always come back to haunt you.
Some never seem to stop with their reminders that while Dortmund was their great launch pad, they can make it a punchbag too. When Robert Lewandowski scored the two goals that eliminated Dortmund from last season’s Uefa Champions League, he took to 29 – in 28 meetings – the total he had scored against his old club in the decade since he left Dortmund, aged 25, first for Bayern Munich and later moving on to Barcelona.
The previous European Cup campaign had taken Dortmund all the way to the final. They lost it to a Real Madrid galvanised by Jude Bellingham, who 10 months earlier joined Madrid, still only 19, from Dortmund for over €100 million.
Surveying elite football’s achievers and market-leaders has long been a bittersweet experience for Dortmund’s strategists, proud of a system that is as good as any at advancing individual careers and bringing in handsome transfer fees but reconciled to the fact those careers often soar higher elsewhere.
For Bellingham in 2024, read Ousmane Dembele in 2025. He was a Dortmund project, too, there for a single season before fetching a €100m-plus fee from Barcelona, who eventually let him go for barely half that to thrive at Paris Saint-Germain.
Dembele’s role in spearheading PSG’s first European Cup triumph last May helped him to the Ballon d’Or. Lewandowski was the leading goalscorer in last season’s Liga. Christian Pulisic, a Dortmund prodigy at 17, then a Champions League winner with Chelsea, scored more times than any AC Milan player in 2024-25.
And three months ago, Alexander Isak, whom Dortmund brought to Germany from Sweden aged 17 on a hunch that turned out to be wise – even if he underwhelmed in his few games for Dortmund’s first team – became, at 25, the most expensive player ever to be transferred between two clubs in the English Premier League, Newcastle United and Liverpool.
And that’s not to mention the footballer well on the way to being regarded as the finest, most valuable, most impactful graduate of the many 21st century stars to have worn Dortmund’s distinctive yellow.
Erling Haaland may have some catching up to do on Lewandowski’s mass of career goals but he is 12 years younger than the 37-year-old Pole. He may never fetch a transfer fee as high as Isak’s or Bellingham’s, but that would only be because Manchester City, who paid Dortmund €60m for Haaland in 2023, now have him on a contract until 2034.
This evening at the Etihad Stadium, Haaland lines up for the second time against his former club and even though more than three years have passed since the first reunion, it is still vivid in Dortmund minds.
It was an early autumn Champions League game and City came back from 1-0 behind, their match-winning goal a show reel highlight: Haaland launched himself high into the air, his body almost horizontal, a big blond karate kid connecting an outstretched left foot to a Joao Cancelo cross.
His nearest marker, Nico Schlotterbeck, wore the look of a man who believed there was no way anybody could reach Cancelo’s pass and instantly regretted the assumption.
Dortmund hope to have Schlotterbeck fit for this evening, and ready to partner Algeria’s Ramy Bensebaini in as tough an assignment as any in elite football: keeping Haaland at bay.
His current run of form is eye-catching even by the Norwegian’s standards. His brace against Bournemouth at the weekend took him to 17 City goals for the season so far, across the Champions League and domestic football, at a rate of a goal every 66 minutes.
He has already this season eased into the top 10 list of all-time Champions League marksmen, a roll of honour that has Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals), Lionel Messi (129) and Lewandowski (105) in the podium positions. Among the 10, Haaland alone averages over a goal a game. Keep that up and his 53 goals so far would become a century in less than 50 further appearances.
Might he one day overhaul Messi and Ronaldo? “No, not all,” replied Haaland on Tuesday. “That’s far off. Nobody can get close to them two.”
“I had 57 [goals for club and country] one season,” he did point out, “but I don’t think about records. I focus on the next game. It’s how I need to think.”
His overall City ratio is just shy of dipping beneath a goal every 90 minutes and the one concern, voiced by City head coach Pep Guardiola, is that, so dazzling is his current form in front of goal that it might create a sense of dependency. Haaland has scored over 65 per cent of City’s goals in their two principal competitions – he has been rested for the early rounds of the League Cup – this season.
“He’s our key man,” acknowledges Guardiola, adding that Haaland’s influence is also growing in the dressing room. He is part of the ‘leadership group’ with whom the coach exchanges ideas and seeks feedback, chosen for that role, said Guardiola, because “I have the feeling he always has an eye on what is best for the team.
“That is difficult to find in players of this sort of ability, a real world-class player to be incredibly humble. Normally strikers just think about goals. I know he will score goals and have that impact. But the more he is involved in many things, so much the better.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
THE RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Alnawar, Connor Beasley (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Raniah, Noel Garbutt, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Saarookh, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Rated Conditions Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: RB Torch, Tadhg O’Shea, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: MH Wari, Antonio Fresu, Elise Jeane
7.30pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m
Winner: Mailshot, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
RESULTS
6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko
7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara
9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
