Dusan Vlahovic aims to join Mbappe and Haaland in Champions League super-striker elite

By the time Kylian Mbappe had turned 22, he had racked up 22 goals in the most glamorous of club competitions. Erling Haaland will only turn 22 in July. He already has 23 Champions League goals to his name.

In the age of the precocious super-striker, there is some catching up to do for the third member of a cohort of forwards earmarked to set records at the elite level of their sport for the next decade - or, as it’s sometimes put, in what will be football’s post-Messi-and-Ronaldo era.

This evening Dusan Vlahovic belatedly takes to the Champions League stage, making his debut in the competition. He’ll be wearing Ronaldo’s old Juventus jersey and carrying into the compact surroundings of Villarreal’s Ceramica stadium the biggest price-tag from the last transfer window.

Juventus committed €70m, with further €10m in add-ons, to sign Vlahovic from Fiorentina just as he approached his 22nd birthday last month. They came out ahead in a jostle of suitors, among the most determined being Arsenal, and the size of the fee, along with the decision of the player to opt for Juve, signalled a vote of confidence in a club whose fortunes have waned in the past 18 months.

This season, like last, is developing in a battle to finish in Serie A’s top four, a modest target for the winners of nine of the last 10 scudetti, Italian titles. Nor have Juventus’s dealings in the transfer market over recent summers - or winters - greatly polished the club’s high reputation as shrewd recruiters of good-value assets.

Having dedicated a vast chunk of their budget to signing Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 with the declaration he would be the missing piece of a jigsaw that featured a long-awaited Champions League triumph, they let Ronaldo go, at a loss, last summer.

He had scored, as ever, heavily - but there was no European Cup from his Juve stint to add to the five he has accumulated between spells at Real Madrid, and, back in 2008, Manchester United.

Vlahovic’s Serie A credentials speak for themselves. Fiorentina had him lined up to sign, from Partizan Belgrade as soon as he turned 18. In 108 games for them he struck 44 goals, establishing himself as a high-pedigree penalty-box operator, but with an ever sharper set of tools from deeper and wider positions.

Vlahovic and 90 other notable January transfers

He arrived in Italy dubbed ‘The Zlatan of Belgrade’, a nickname Vlahovic had partly prompted by his own confession that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was his idol and role model growing up.

When Juventus head coach, Max Allegri welcomed him to Turin last month, he moved the dial to the next generation: “He’s up there with the best, alongside Mbappe and Haaland.”

The hype was justified almost immediately. Within 13 minutes of his Juventus debut, Vlahovic had scored his first goal, demonstrating an unflustered cool in his measured lob, on the run, over the advancing Hellas Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo.

Four evenings later, there was another show reel of Vlahovic’s excellence playing off the shoulder of the last defender. He picked up a long pass, worked his way goalwards from wide on the Juventus left to engineer the winning goal in a Coppa Italian quarter-final against Sassuolo.

The duel for a place in the last eight of the Champions League against Europa League-holders Villarreal, represents a significant step up, said Allegri, tempering his effusive bracketing of his new striker with those European Cup-weathered contemporaries, Haaland and Mbappe.

“We must not weigh Dusan down with responsibilities,” advised the Juve head coach, anticipating an “even, 50-50” last-16 tie. “He has great qualities, but this [the Champions League] is a new experience, and we need to support him.”

Unavailable, because of injury, to back up Vlahovic, will be Pablo Dybala, with whom a promising understanding is already developing. Juventus are likely to be spearheaded by a more like-for-like attacking pair, in Vlahovic and Alvaro Morata.

Morata, whose place in the Juve hierarchy had seemed most compromised by the Vlahovic signing, said yesterday the Serbian forward’s arrival had galvanised Juventus’s season.

“He’s been nothing but positive, on and off the pitch,” said Morata. “He’s a great footballer, he’s young and he has a terrific career ahead of him. He’s adapted very well. We’re all hoping to see him score his first Champions League goals.”

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MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Match on BeIN Sports

While you're here

C Uday Bhaskar: What is India's Indo-Pacific strategy?

Sholto Byrnes: How US and China can get along in Indo-Pacific

Brahma Chellaney: Trump's unpredictability is making China great again

Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

Madrid Open schedule

Men's semi-finals

Novak Djokovic (1) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 6pm

Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11pm

Women's final

Simona Halep (3) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 8.30pm

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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What are the influencer academy modules?

Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
Cinematography, shots and movement.
All aspects of post-production.
Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
Tourism industry knowledge.
Professional ethics.

Company profile

Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

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

Rating: 2.5/5

Results

2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)

3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson

3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar

4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer

4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi

5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly

6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson

How our nine-month-old has made the Canadian winter a little bit warmer for us

Canadians rallying around a targeted Syrian restaurant is telling about attitudes to migrants

Don Cherry and the real issue with being one of 'you people'

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.

RACE CARD

6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m

More on Quran memorisation:

How Quran memorisation helps 'train the brain'

Teenage girls recite the Quran flawlessly, despite speaking no Arabic

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).

Age	$250 a month	$500 a month	$1,000 a month
25	$640,829	$1,281,657	$2,563,315
35	$303,219	$606,439	$1,212,877
45	$131,596	$263,191	$526,382
55	$44,351	$88,702	$177,403

Generational responses to the pandemic

Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:

Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.

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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Tips from the expert

Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.

Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.