Much like careers that converged a decade or more at the very summit of football, for the majority on Thursday night in Riyadh, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi vied with one another for the limelight.
At what appeared a near sell-out King Fahd Stadium, an estimated 68,000 fans serenaded two of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game. Paris Saint-Germain were in town to take on a Riyadh Allstar XI and, while Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Achraf Hakimi had their obvious admirers, it was clear from the outset who most have come to witness.
Reports suggested there had been in excess of two million online ticket requests. Apparently, one businessman forked out 10 million Saudi riyals ($2.6m) for a one-of-a-kind ticket that came with extraordinary perks, including photo ops with the Allstar team captained by Ronaldo and a Paris side headlined by Messi.
At 2pm on gameday, “Messi” was the top-trending subject on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, almost one month to the day after he sat perched at football’s peak, holding aloft the World Cup trophy in Qatar.
At King Fahd Stadium, excitable supporters competed pre-match for airtime on the jumbo television screens, almost all either parading “Ronaldo 7” Al Nassr or Portugal jerseys – he continues as captain of his country – or “Messi 10” Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Barcelona – his former club – or Argentina shirts. At one point, a huge roar greeted a sizeable Nassr banner being displayed, with Ronaldo in his new club’s blue and yellow alongside the Saudi Pro League leaders’ badge.
In retaliation, and such is a rivalry that has consumed football since the two men with 12 Ballon d’Or trophies between them first rose to prominence, the next “Messi 10” Argentina jersey elicited an even louder reaction. “Messi! Messi! Messi!” the crowd chanted.
From there, the give-and-take continued, through the warm-ups, the initial touches of the ball once the exhibition Riyadh Season Cup had begun, when Messi opened the scoring on two minutes, and when Ronaldo – as Ronaldo is wont to do – snatched back the spotlight with two goals later in the first half.
The superstars, for that is what they are - with 535 million, Ronaldo resides as the most followed person on Instagram, Messi second with 420m – where withdrawn just after the hour, but still they were never far from view.
When the TV cameras beamed images of both on the big screen from their respective benches, they were greeted by a cacophony of noise. Ronaldo grinned wide; later he blew a kiss, prompting his name to reverberate around the arena.
Typically more understated, Messi glanced at himself depicted high above and simply smiled. His supporters called out his name repeatedly, making the bow-down, we’re-not-worthy gesture that has transported from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, to Paris, to Qatar and, now, Saudi Arabia.
The hope for many is that it would not be the last time it is experienced in the country. It may seem fanciful, and an extension to his expiring PSG contract remains most likely, but Messi has been linked strongly with an incredibly lucrative move to Al Hilal, Nassr's cross-city rivals and current champions of both Saudi Arabia and Asia.
Ironically, it feels that Ronaldo has made his long-time foe's arrival more plausible. The former Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward signed with Nassr last month, agreeing to a two-and-a-half-year contract reportedly worth upwards of $200m per season. The nine-time Saudi champions hailed the acquisition as “more than history in the making”.
In a tweet to mark the moment, Saudi minister of sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal pledged to “support the rest of our clubs for quality deals with international stars soon”.
It suggests a compelling period ahead for the 16-team Saudi Pro League, whose clubs are permitted to register eight foreign players. At present, there are 128 expatriate players in the division, with 48 nationalities represented.
Ronaldo’s recruitment, though, has raised the bar in terms of the calibre of footballer that presumably can be enticed. In the past three weeks, in the slipstream of the five-time Uefa Champions League winner's signing, the names mentioned to potentially follow have included Real Madrid stars Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Eden Hazard, Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, PSG’s Sergio Ramos, Liverpool’s Robert Firmino and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.
Speaking to Reuters this week, football finance expert Neil Joyce said: "The Ronaldo effect could take hold in that area and, given the success of the World Cup in that region, I think it makes a lot of sense for Ronaldo and the value that it can bring in the not-too-distant future.
"You're going to see a series of relatively high-profile stars that maybe are entering the latter stages of their career, probably moving over to Saudi Arabia."
Of course, Messi represents another level altogether. The record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, whose contribution in delivering Argentina the most recent World Cup has arguably elevated him to greatest-of-all-time status – look away, Ronaldo – has an obvious connection to Saudi as the kingdom’s tourism ambassador.
Last week, reports claimed Messi was offered just shy of $300m per year to join Hilal once his contract with PSG expires at the end of the season.
On Wednesday, when asked about the possibility of the Argentina captain plying his trade in the Saudi top flight, the country's football federation general secretary, Ibrahim Al Kassim, said: “We are not involved in any kind of agreements or negotiations between the clubs and players.
“If you ask me about Messi coming to Saudi Arabia, who would not love to see Messi playing in their country? Of course, everyone would love to see again Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi playing in the same league. But we are not involved in that.”
Echoing Joyce's remarks, and underlining the newfound interest outside the kingdom in its football, Al Kassim added: “Now that Cristiano Ronaldo is here, that will also open the door for so many other players who can join the league. So that will also add toward the improvement of the Saudi league and Saudi Arabia.”
Buoyed by Ronaldo, whose official Nassr debut comes on Sunday, and thus bullish now in landing Messi, fans continue to dream.
Outside King Fahd Stadium on Thursday night, Riyadh-born engineering student Mohammed Abdullah said he would even set aside his life-long allegiance to Nassr to welcome Messi at neighbours Hilal.
“If Messi comes to Al Hilal, I would not be surprised," Abdullah said. "Al Hilal and Al Nassr are the top clubs in Riyadh. For sure, Hilal is a very big team and if they want a player, they can afford it.
“I’m already proud of my country, but I would be even more proud if we bring Ronaldo and Messi. With Ronaldo, this is a new level of excitement, not only for the young people in Saudi Arabia – all the eyes of the world are on Saudi football. This hits different.”
Imagine, then, the impact of Messi, too.
Another Riyadh native, Khalid Al Daher, is convinced his club will sign the 35-year-old playmaker, if only because football fandom has long encouraged a healthy appetite for one-upmanship.
“For sure, if Nassr have Ronaldo, we must have Messi,” Al Daher said. “Messi will come in the summer. Believe me. Hilal are the biggest club in Asia. So they must have the best player also.”
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
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)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Company%20profile
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m, Winner: Zalman, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Qader, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
8pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nayslayer, Bernardo Pinheiro, Jaber Ramadhan
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERooh%20Afza%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20contains%20414%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETang%20orange%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECarob%20beverage%20mix%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20about%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQamar%20Al%20Din%20apricot%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20saving%20contains%2061%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EVimto%20fruit%20squash%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%2030%20calories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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.
More on Quran memorisation:
Blonde
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAndrew%20Dominik%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAna%20de%20Armas%2C%20Adrien%20Brody%2C%20Bobby%20Cannavale%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
