Lyon // Gareth Bale believes Wales made a nation proud in their unprecedented run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals and backed Chris Coleman's men to reach the World Cup in Russia in two years' time.
Bale's Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo ended Welsh dreams of reaching Sunday's final as he powered home the opener before teeing up Nani for a quickfire second as Portugal emerged 2-0 victors in Lyon.
However, Bale reflected upon an incredible rise for Wales from No 117 in the world rankings less than five years ago to their first ever semi-final in a major tournament.
“It obviously hurts now, because it’s fresh, but we’ve been on an amazing journey, which I think the whole nation has enjoyed,” said Bale.
“I hope they have enjoyed it as much as us.
“We want to thank them all for their support, it’s been incredible, our fans and staff have all been incredible.
“These are moments none of us will ever forget.”
More Euro 2016
Match report: Cristiano Ronaldo sends Portugal into Euro 2016 final
Photo gallery: Cristiano Ronaldo, with help from Nani, wins Real Madrid battle over Gareth Bale in Euro 2016
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Coleman called on his players to maintain the desire that took them so far in France for a World Cup qualifying group featuring Austria, Serbia and the Republic of Ireland which starts in September.
“The hunger is there more than ever,” insisted Bale.
“It obviously hurts to lose, we have enjoyed the experience together, but there is a lot more to come and a lot more to improve on.
“Come the World Cup qualifiers, which are not too far away, we’ll be raring to go.
“We wanted to test ourselves against the best countries in the world, we have done ourselves and our country proud and we can hold our heads high and give it a go again.”
One of Wales’ few regrets was that they went down without one of their star performers during the tournament as Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was missing through suspension.
And he called on Coleman to stay on as boss to build press on with the momentum built up over the past four years.
“It’s brilliant. You can see the amount of fun we have on the pitch, we enjoy playing together.
“We’re working hard for each other and playing with freedom, so all the players enjoy playing under him.”
West Ham defender James Collins had come into the Wales side due to the suspension of Ben Davies.
He kept Ronaldo quiet for long spells, but lamented the split second when the three-time world player of the year showed his true class.
Ronaldo rose majestically above the Welsh defence to head the first goal.
“I was enjoying my dual with Ronaldo, the first-half went very well,” said Collins.
“I don’t think he really did anything amazing in the game, but he scored the first goal which gave them heart.
“He’s a world-class player who has performed again on a world-class stage.”
However, Collins backed Wales to learn from the experience and go onto achieve “massive” feats in the future.
“No one thought this young team, which will have a lot more success, would get this far, so this isn’t the end, this is the start of something massive.”
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
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"
Company%C2%A0profile
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PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
