A tall, muscular winger who plays off either flank, creates goals aplenty, scores more than most, and has a penchant for a spectacular free kick. The temptation is to invite a comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo until you are reminded that Chris Brunt hails from Northern Ireland.
It is not ability that stalls the idea in its tracks, it's a solid, down-to-earth Ulster upbringing.
"Yeah, Ronaldo was good in the air, wasn't he? He'd be a lot better in the air than what I am, I would have thought," said Brunt, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder, before diverting the conversation into the tactical merits of Scott Carson propelling diagonal balls at him to out-jump opposition full-backs.
Such is the way of this likeable Belfast lad. A close friend recalls the day Brunt scored for Sheffield Wednesday in a dramatic Yorkshire derby defeat of Leeds United. Catching up on the phone after the game, Brunt was asked about his strike. "Yeah, it was a decent one," he said. "Watch it tonight on Sky [television]." The friend did as he was told and was bemused to witness a 50-yard angled lob over the goalkeeper.
Decent, indeed.
Brunt has a knack for the spectacular, rising from the bench to take Wednesday into a successful League One play-off in 2005. He has finished two of three full seasons at West Brom as leading scorer, twice including goals that brought promotion.
In the week in which his two-year-old son, Charlie, was born, Brunt scored both an equaliser that secured West Brom's promotion to the Premier League and the goal that won them the Championship.
"I don't think I'll ever match that high," said Brunt, who is awaiting the birth of a second son, "unless something happens this time around."
Yet ask Brunt, 25, for his most memorable goal and he selects his first as a professional footballer. "The free kick against Brighton for Sheffield Wednesday back in 2004," he said. "I remember my mum and dad had sent me a good-luck card from Belfast because they couldn't come to the game. My brother, who was 11 at the time, just wrote me a daft little message, 'Score a decent goal', on the inside of it."
Brunt's career was in a precarious state that March afternoon at Hillsborough. Led to believe that Middlesbrough, his first club, were unlikely to keep him, he had cancelled his Premier League contract early, dropping two divisions in search of a senior debut.
Despite being short on numbers, the Wednesday manager, Chris Turner, was reluctant to use Brunt as a central midfielder, suggesting a switch to left wing - even though a practice match in the position had seemed disastrous.
"The right-back had me in his pocket the whole session, nutmegged me about three times," Brunt said. "But I started on Saturday and we got a free kick about seven minutes into the game. It was those old Mitre balls that you hit as hard as you could and they always came back down, not like these new balls. I put it in the top corner, got man of the match on my debut and didn't really look back from there.
"Moving to Sheffield was a risky thing, but I think as a footballer you've got to take risks because you can only get by on your own performances and ability."
Brunt is equally phlegmatic about Glasgow Rangers' decision to renege on a schoolboy contract after five years training with the club - a broken promise that cost the Scottish club their Belfast scout as well as a future international.
Brunt gives much of the credit for West Brom's unanticipated early form to manager Roberto Di Matteo and his assistant, Eddie Newton. Arsenal were defeated in London, Manchester United hauled in at Old Trafford, and if the Baggies can defeat Manchester City again this afternoon (they beat City 2-1 in the Carling Cup in September) they could end the weekend in the Champions League places.
"They been brilliant from the moment they've walked through the door," Brunt said. "It's just little things that we maybe weren't so great at. We're generally a lot better organised than what we were.
"It's enjoyable to play in because we know when we don't have the ball we're tough to break down and when we do have the ball we create chances to cause problems."
Combine that with a spirit that has grown through three years of relegation and promotion and there is a real sense that West Brom's yo-yo is ready to halt on high.
sports@thenational.ae
7pm, Abu Dhabi Sports 4
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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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)
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.