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English football correspondent Greg Lea picks his starting 11 (a 4-3-3, if you're curious) for the 2016 European Championships.
Also, see our Best and Worst of the tournament.
Rui Patricio, Portugal
• Patricio was arguably man of the match in the final, capping off a marvellous tournament between the sticks for Portugal. It was hard to blame him for any of the goals the champions conceded, with the Sporting Lisbon custodian bringing a calming presence to his team’s backline.
Bacary Sagna, France
• Sagna was quietly effective at right-back for the hosts, even if there was not a great deal of competition in his position. The Manchester City man showed great energy in getting up and down the flank and made some timely tackles and interceptions at the back.
Pepe, Portugal
• Pepe is often on the receiving end of criticism for his behaviour on the pitch but there can be no doubting he is a top-class centre-half. The Real Madrid defender marshalled the Portugal backline brilliantly, with his reading of the game particularly impressive.
Leonardo Bonucci, Italy
• It doesn’t feel right to label Italy a surprise package, but the four-time World Cup winners certainly exceeded all expectations this summer. Bonucci was their best player, solid and resolute at the back and happy to assume the role of deep-lying playmaker when his team were in possession.
Raphael Guerreiro, Portugal
• The 22-year-old was a strong contender for the Young Player of the Tournament award, with the Borussia Dortmund left-back a key attacking weapon for Portugal throughout. Guerreiro played with an intelligence and maturity that is usually associated with players much more experienced than he is – the ex-Lorient defender had only seven caps to his name when the tournament got under way.
Toni Kroos, Germany
• Kroos was brilliant in every match he played, helping Germany to control possession and demonstrating a useful ability to continually identify and execute the right pass at the right moment. There are not many players in the world who can break opponents’ lines of midfield and defence with their distribution as effectively as Kroos.
Grzegorz Krychowiak, Poland
• Paris Saint-Germain’s new midfielder was terrific in his country’s engine room, breaking up opposition attacks and starting his team’s own forays forward with some fine all-round displays. Poland’s run to the quarter-finals was largely based on their defensive solidity, with Krychowiak playing an important role in front of the back four.
Aaron Ramsey, Wales
• The loss of Ramsey to suspension in the semi-finals was a huge blow to Wales’ chances against Portugal, with the Arsenal midfielder superb up until that point. Playing in a more advanced role but getting back behind the ball in the defensive phase of play, Ramsey was a vital link man who ensured Wales’ midfield and attack never grew too disconnected.
Gareth Bale, Wales
• Bale was a little subdued in Wales’ first two encounters against Slovakia and England but still managed to find the back of the net with two excellent free-kicks. He was more involved in general play in subsequent matches while still managing to conjure or contribute to match-winning moments as Chris Coleman’s men made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Antoine Griezmann, France
• Griezmann scored twice as many goals as anyone else in the competition, but that statistic alone does not fully explain how integral he was to France’s progression to the final. Operating as a second striker for most of the knockout stage, the 25-year-old was so often the hosts’ main source of inspiration in the last third of the field.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
• The Real Madrid man, who was forced out of the final early on through injury, was generally quiet in open play, but his decisive contributions in front of goal ensured Portugal had a clinical edge to go with their solid foundations. His cute flicked finish against Hungary was one of the strikes of the tournament.
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The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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