For Roberto Firmino, it was shaping up to be a season like no other long before football was halted.
He delivered the winner in the Club World Cup final but is on the brink of becoming a Premier League champion without scoring against an English club at Anfield.
His lone home strike, against Atletico Madrid, counted for nothing. Liverpool still went out of the Champions League.
Firmino is a player like no other, and not merely because of the extraordinary anomaly whereby possibly England’s most dominant champions will post a 100 per cent home record without a goal from their No 9. The numbers illustrate how idiosyncratic Firmino is.
He can feel both the best defensive striker in the league and the most unselfish. No striker has more assists this season and only one, Sheffield United’s Lys Mousset, averages more per 90 minutes on the pitch.
But creativity comes in part from hassling and harrying. Firmino is Liverpool’s leader of the press, the man who can regain possession.
The Brazilian excels at getting the ball back – something, on average, only five centre-forwards do more often per 90 minutes – but the key element is what he does when he retrieves it. He switches defence to attack.
Much of Jurgen Klopp’s strategy is based around using transitions to break quickly, before the opposition get back into shape, when Liverpool get the ball.
In statistics produced by the Comparisonator website, Firmino tops the charts among centre-forwards for most ball recoveries that lead to a shot within 20 seconds – or quick, deadly counter-attacks, in short – by averaging 0.79 per 90 minutes.
Only one striker gets remotely close; tellingly, it is his former understudy, Southampton’s Danny Ings, at 0.75. Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, whose high pressing is, Pep Guardiola claims, the best he has seen, is a distant third.
If Firmino initially stands out off the ball, with his incessant effort, he then excels on it.
The figures suggest he is both the busiest and the best striker in possession. He averages 26.1 passes per 90 minutes. That would not be a remarkable tally for a midfielder. It is for a striker.
It puts him in a different league to any of his counterparts, with 20 per cent more than anyone else. The closest are two wingers, assessed purely in their outings in central positions: Southampton Nathan Redmond (21.0) and Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son (20.6). The conventional forwards all have fewer.
It is not merely a question of how often Firmino passes, but where. This can illustrate how unique he is.
Perhaps Liverpool, as the division’s best team this season, should be in the opposition’s half more than most, but Firmino averages 2.99 successful passes in the final third every 90 minutes.
It means he is 45 per cent better than anyone else, with Harry Kane next on 2.1. David McGoldrick ranks third and the Ireland international has one unfortunate common denominator with Firmino – a lack of home goals, compounded by his inability to score away – the Sheffield United man figures highly on some of the same lists.
Firmino does not just stand out in the context of the Premier League.
Transplant his statistics to another league and it shows how hard he would be to replace if he left Liverpool.
No Bundesliga forward averages as many passes into the final third or as many ball recoveries that lead to a shot. No La Liga or Serie A striker wins the ball back to set up a chance as often. Only one La Liga striker completes more passes in the final third of the pitch. And he is Lionel Messi.
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Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
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Fight card
- Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
- Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
- Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
- Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO
- Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
- Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
- Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
- Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Honeymoonish
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
