John Terry has made 462 league appearances for Chelsea since 1998. Nigel Roddis / Getty Images
John Terry has made 462 league appearances for Chelsea since 1998. Nigel Roddis / Getty Images

Diego Forlan: Among different styles of defenders, Chelsea’s John Terry is timeless



I’m often asked about the best defenders I’ve played against in my career. There have been many, but a few stand out above the rest.

The Italian Fabio Cannavaro, who was with Real Madrid when I played against him several times, was the best player in the world in 2006. He wasn’t tall, but very quick and strong. He always knew his opponents well, as if he’d researched them. When the ball came from the side, he was always touching and pushing me. He didn’t give me space to start running. He wasn’t dirty, he didn’t kick, he just wouldn’t let you run freely, he interrupted my flow for 90 minutes. Not many players managed it, but he suffocated my style in a fair way. I suppose that must have made him a great.

Two English defenders were among the finest I played against, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. I knew Rio from my time at Old Trafford and playing against him in training every day. He was the best young English defender when he signed from Leeds United against whom I’d taken him on several times. He was fast, strong, great with the ball and had excellent anticipation. He was very hard to play against. When he walked in the United dressing room we saw him as someone who could help us win the league back from Arsenal – which we did.

Maybe someone with Rio’s height should have scored more goals, but while it’s hard to say that everyone in the England team is world class, but Ferdinand and Terry were It’s hard to say that everyone in the England team is world class, but Ferdinand and Terry were. And they played together in the same team. I think they could have played in any national side in the world.

They were tall and strong and fast, key attributes for a defender in England. Cannavaro wasn't tall and maybe the Premier League wouldn't have suited his style so he compensated in other ways. He was really fit, for example.

One of the surprises of this season so far has been Chelsea. I said at the start of the season that I thought they'd win the Premier League, but they've had a terrible start. That has surprised but so has

Terry, 34, being dropped for recent Chelsea games. He’s a Chelsea icon, their most successful ever player from their most successful ever period. It’s tough for him right now and maybe something has gone on that we don’t know about, but he has the quality to get back in the team. His experience could also be vital if Chelsea are going to retain the title.

Terry reads the game very well; he has an instinct about what is going to happen next. He’s an intelligent footballer who has won everything for his club over a number of years. It is a fact that Terry has been a world-class performer.

I played him for club and country and they were tough battles. He’s not the type to give you abuse. There are some defenders who like to distract you by talking to you. They’ll say things about your mother, about your family. They’ll tug and push you. It’s part of their game. After scoring some of the best goals of my career, I’ve been told that I’m lucky or that I didn’t mean to do what I’d just done. I say nothing, but you know they must be really angry if they’re getting mad with you; you know you must be doing something right. There are other players who try and distract you during games and are completely normal and pleasant after – like they’re a different person off the pitch. That’s not always a bad thing.

Some strikers are the same and I respect that they play football their way. It’s their personality and I love the different personalities and styles on a football pitch, it’s one reason it’s such a fascinating game.

Football has changed and so has the relationship between the players on the pitch. Where once some players would try everything to distract opponents, now it’s harder. There are TV cameras everywhere which have much higher quality images than before. There are lip readers in studios working out what you are saying to each other. That’s why you see so many talking covering their mouths. If you’re caught saying something that you shouldn’t then you’re all over social media, you get sanctioned and damage your image. Fifa have really pushed Fair Play too and that has made the games cleaner. Referees are also stricter and more consistent as the authorities look for more uniformity. When I started playing, there were great differences in pitches. Now, at the highest level in Europe at least, they’re all very similar. When I see some of the pitches which my father played on, I think that it must have been a different game.

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Fixtures:

Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm

Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm

Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

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.
Five expert hiking tips
    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.

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)

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envi%20Lodges%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Noelle%20Homsy%20and%20Chris%20Nader%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hospitality%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%20to%2015%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%20of%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

SPECS

Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR

Engine: 5.7-litre V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 362hp

Torque: 530Nm

Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Stage 5 results

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53

2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -

Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott - 

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ  0:00:04

5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07

General Classification:

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04

2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01

3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48

5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11

WWE Super ShowDown results

Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title

Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship

Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns

Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party

Randy Orton beats Triple H

Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley

Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal

The Undertaker beat Goldberg

 

UAE SQUAD

 Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).

Smart words at Make Smart Cool

Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.

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

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now