Cristiano Ronaldo reiterated his desire to retire at Real Madrid after sealing another piece of history for his team at the Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi – but added that his future at the Bernabeu “does not depend on him”.
The Portuguese forward, 32, scored the only goal of the final at Zayed Sports City on Saturday as Madrid defeated Brazil's Gremio 1-0 to become the first side to retain the title.
Having in 2017 won also the Primera Liga, the Uefa Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup and the Uefa Super Cup, Zinedine Zidane’s men became the first Madrid team to capture five trophies in a calendar year.
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Ronaldo was integral to all of their success, and scored in both the Club World Cup semi-final and final to bring up another record of his own.
He has now found the net seven times in the event, more than any of player. Also, his four tournament titles – Manchester United in 2008, Madrid 2014, 2016 and this year – has been matched by only teammate Toni Kroos.
Speaking after being awarded man of the match against Gremio, Ronaldo said: “I am very happy because we own a trophy we really wanted. Madrid has never won five trophies in a year. We are very happy, this is very natural.
“Obviously, I am very happy to know I got another record as a top scorer in the Club World Cup. I talk on the pitch - that is my work. I always try to give my best and people enjoy my football.
“I want to enjoy and keep on motivating myself to keep on playing, train and enjoy football. That is what I enjoy the most.”
The Club World Cup victory continues a fine December for Ronaldo, who was last week awarded a fifth Ballon d’Or to draw level with Barcelona rival Lionel Messi’s record. Ronaldo said then that he considered himself to be the best player in history.
Since joining Madrid from United in 2010, he has become the club’s all-time leading scorer with 420 goals in 414 appearances.
"I do not have to constantly talk about myself,” the Portugal captain said. “I keep on thinking the same things I said when I received the Ballon d’Or.
"I am confident and my numbers do not deceive; they speak for themselves. I feel very well and very strong. I remain motivated to win things at the collective and individual level, to keep on my career as a football player. I like to win trophies the most.”
Ronaldo has four years remaining on his current contract, but is regularly linked with a move away from Madrid, possibly back to United or to Paris Saint-Germain.
Asked on Saturday if he would see out his career at the Bernabeu, he said: “If it is possible, yes, I would like to retire in Madrid. But things don’t depend on me. What depends on me is what I do on the pitch.
“When I say ‘possible’, I do not make the decisions in the club. The other things don’t depend on me.”
Zidane added: "Cristiano is a key player and we want him to stay with us until the end. He is in his club, in his home and what he has done, no one else is going to do it. So I hope he continues like this until he retires."
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
