Ten years ago on May 13, 2012, Argentine superstar Sergio Aguero scored the most famous goal in Premier League history.
As the ball hit the back of the Queen’s Park Rangers’ net it won Manchester City their first English top flight crown in more than 40 years, broke the hearts of neighbours Manchester United and immortalised the striker, who went on to become one of the greatest goalscorers in English football.
The goal stopped the clock at 93:20; it spawned a hospitality suite at the Etihad Stadium, myriad memes and gifs, memorabilia, books and documentaries.
And now, a decade on and with no fewer than four more Premier League titles in the trophy room, City are ready to celebrate the 10-year anniversary in style.
City are, of course, still embroiled in a fearsome contest for this year’s No 1 spot with arch-rivals Liverpool, but that clash of the titans will be shoved to one side temporarily as the class of 2011/12 are lauded for kick-starting the most successful 10 years in club history.
Although all of them have now left City, many of the star names will assemble in Manchester for a private get together and then a meet and greet in the city centre with a ballot allowing for 2,000 fans to attend a special event.
Friday the 13th will also be the day that Sergio Aguero’s statue, No 16 shirt twirling around his head, is unveiled outside the Etihad Stadium.
The statue is the work of Philadelphia based Scotsman Andy Scott, who was also commissioned to produce works depicting David Silva and Vincent Kompany that already adorn the entrance to the Etihad Stadium. Other sporting works of the sculptor are based in the Sydney Olympic Park in Australia and at Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.
For anyone at the Etihad that memorable sunny Sunday afternoon in 2012, myself included, the memories are still incredibly vivid and unlikely to fade anytime soon.
City knew that a win over relegation-threatened QPR would all but guarantee them the crown. They led United on goal difference and the Reds would have to win by nearly double digits at Sunderland to overturn the deficit.
Emotion flowed from the first whistle. First there was the ‘certainty’ that the title would be won when full-back Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring six minutes before half time, then debilitating doubt as Djibril Cisse levelled just three minutes into the second half.
Hopes soared again when former City midfielder Joey Barton was sent off but nosedived to new depths just 10 minutes later when 10-man QPR took the lead through Jamie Mackie.
Every minute that passed after that saw hope seep out of the deflated home fans. "Typical City" was a phrase being worn out in the stands, United were winning at Sunderland and the chance to win the title had seemingly gone as the scoreboard displayed and then passed 90 minutes.
Five minutes of injury time were signalled and the majority of the 48,000 crowd summoned up a defiant roar. But even when Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko’s header made the score 2-2, in the 92nd minute, it just seemed the most cruel of teases. Another slap in the face to remind everyone in blue what might have been.
Then the miracle happened, almost in slow motion.
Nigel de Jong won the ball back in midfield, Roberto Mancini, the City manager, was screaming from the touchline; Mario Balotelli, eschewing all his selfish striker’s instincts, laid the ball off to Aguero who didn’t break stride into the right side of the penalty area before hitting the back of the net with a low drive. For a moment time seemed to stand still and then sheer pandemonium as the stadium erupted and those who had left scrambled to get back into the ground.
Aguero disappeared under his teammates; Joe Hart and Gael Clichy, the two City players not in the QPR half, met for a memorable embrace close to the City penalty area; assistant manager David Platt, the former England international, hared off up the touchline to goodness knows where and Mancini looked to the heavens and let out a roar that wouldn’t have been out of place in the Lion King.
At Sunderland, the home fans teased the travelling United contingent who seconds earlier had been celebrating what they thought was certain title glory. The contrast couldn’t have been more stark. The "noisy neighbours", as Alex Ferguson had dubbed City, had fully found their voice.
It seemed like hours and a sea of tears later that Vincent Kompany hoisted the Premier League trophy to the heavens and Manchester City’s decade of dominance began.
Afterwards the City captain and some of his players admitted that they had needed time alone in various quiet corners deep below the stadium to even try to compute what had happened in the game and what they had achieved. Meanwhile, a party started in the stands that has hardly stopped since.
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Moving%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SMG%20Studio%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Team17%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
