Robert Lewandowski determined to fire Barcelona 'back to the top of European football'

Robert Lewandowski said he is determined to help Barcelona return to the top of European football as the prolific Polish striker completed his move from Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski, 33, travelled over the weekend to Miami, where Barcelona are preparing to face Inter Miami in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday evening, and met his new teammates and the club's backroom staff.

The Poland captain is understood to have signed a three-year contract after Barcelona and Bayern reached "an agreement in principle" thought to be around €50 million ($50.7m). Although the deal is yet to be confirmed, Lewandowski was seen in Barca uniform in photos and videos published to the club's social media channels.

"Finally I'm here, I'm very happy to be with Barcelona," Lewandowski said in an interview published on Barca's Twitter account. "The last few days were very long but in the end the deal is done, so the focus can be on a new chapter in my life, a new challenge.

"I am always the guy who wants to win, not only games but also titles, so I hope that we can start the season by winning and that will lead to titles at the end of the season."

A serial winner and prolific goalscorer throughout his 12 years in Germany, Lewandowski won two Bundesliga titles and the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund, before winning eight league titles in a row, three German Cups, and the 2020 Champions League at Bayern.

Lewandowski scored 447 goals in 562 games across all competitions for Dortmund and Bayern, while his 312 Bundesliga goals places him second on the all-time list, behind only Gerd Muller's 365. However, Lewandowski did break Muller's long-standing single-season scoring record when he registered 41 goals in the 2020/21 campaign, surpassing the German's previous milestone set in 1972.

Having spent the past 12 seasons gathering team and individual silverware in Germany, Lewandowski joins a Barcelona side who have fallen behind their domestic and continental rivals in recent years, largely due to the club's serious financial problems.

It has been three years since Barca last won La Liga and seven years since their most recent Champions League triumph. During that lean spell, only once have they progressed beyond the quarter-finals, and Lewandowski hopes he can help fire the club back to winning major trophies.

"I always wanted to play in La Liga and now this is my next step," he said. "I know that for Barca it is time to get back on track. That is why I am here, to help Barca be at the top of European football and winning as many titles as possible."

Lewandowski said manager Xavi Hernandez was a major influence in his decision to join Barcelona and he believes the Catalan - a club legend from his hugely successful 17-year playing career at Camp Nou - is the right man to restore Barca to their former glory.

"I was speaking with Xavi and from the beginning I knew that his ideas were going in a good way," Lewandowski said. "That made it easy for me to decide to come to Barcelona because I want to win and I know that with Xavi it's very possible. He knows how to coach at Barcelona because he was an amazing player and now he is also very good as a coach with an amazing future and I want to be part of this as well.

"I always want to win and I know we have so many good players with amazing quality," the striker added. "With this team we can achieve a lot this season."

Lewandowski becomes Barcelona's fourth major signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie and Danish defender Andreas Christensen on free transfers, and Brazilian winger Raphinha for €60m from Leeds United.

100 major summer transfers so far

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

Match info

Huddersfield Town 0

Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')

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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

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Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

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How to wear a kandura

Dos

Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts

Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying

Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.