Leonardo has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al Jazira. Courtesy Al Jazira Club
Leonardo has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al Jazira. Courtesy Al Jazira Club

Leonardo wants to help Al Jazira become ‘the best team in Asia’ after completing move from Jeonbuk



Brazilian forward Leonardo has said he wants to help Al Jazira become “the best team in Asia” having achieved that target at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Leonardo, 30, completed his move to Jazira from Jeonbuk on Friday and was officially presented by the Arabian Gulf League leaders on Saturday.

His crowning achievement from four-and-a-half years with the Korean club came in November when his two goals proved decisive as Jeonbuk won the Asian Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate victory over UAE club Al Ain. Leonardo scored a total of 10 goals in the competition.

The Brazilian, who has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, has now set his sights on helping Jazira emulate his former club.

“It’s a new team and a new home for me,” Leonardo said. “When I was in Korea, I had a desire to move to the UAE. Jazira opened that door for me.

“I want to be here for many years and help this club to win every title and to be the best team in Asia.”

Leonardo’s immediate goal is to regain his match fitness after a 20-day break with the hope of being ready for selection for Jazira’s Arabian Gulf Cup semi-final against Al Ahli on Monday.

“I had an opportunity to meet and train with my new teammates. I just need three to four days, and then I’ll be ready to play this game,” he said.

“However, all that will depend if my papers are accepted by the competition committee and if my coach is willing to include me in the line-up or the squad.”

Leonardo may be one of the finest strikers in Asian football, but Jazira manager Henk ten Cate has challenged the club’s new signing to prove his worth.

“He brings in all the basic skills, mentality, physical condition, technical quality and experience,” the Dutchman said. “This is important. Now he must show, particularly to me and the team, he is better than what we had.”

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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.

• For more information visit the library network's website.

if you go

The flights

Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes. 

The hotels 

The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).

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Power: 630hp
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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Info

What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

When: December 27-29, 2018

Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823

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AGL AWARDS

Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

UAE Rugby finals day

Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai

2pm, UAE Conference final

Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers

4pm, UAE Premiership final

Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

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A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

How Beautiful this world is!

Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 402bhp

Torque: 760Nm

Price: From Dh280,000

Info

What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

When: December 27-29, 2018

Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
Politics in the West
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Specs

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Power: 905hp

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While you're here
ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"