A packed schedule for the hero of Istanbul. Rodri, still coming to terms with the size of his legacy – as scorer of the most important goal in Manchester City’s history – now turns his mind to transforming his treble into a unique, quick-fire quadruple.
His national team, the Spain he captained in their last competitive match, are in Netherlands to contest the last stage of the Uefa Nations League on Thursday. Beat Italy in Enschede and they contest Sunday’s final. For Rodri and his City colleague Aymeric Laporte, that could mean a fourth trophy in the space of 28 days.
On the penultimate Sunday of May, Rodri and Laporte were under a shower of confetti at the Etihad stadium, brandishing the Premier League. Two weekends later, in London, they were circling the Wembley pitch with the FA Cup.
Seven evenings on, Rodri, having struck the only goal in a taut Champions League final against Inter Milan, was telling reporters of the need to keep the momentum, of a dynasty City must now build. He may first need to build an extension to his personal cabinet of silverware.
Poor Matteo Darmian, the defender whose face so vividly registered Inter’s alarm in the 68th minute in Istanbul as Rodri advanced to meet Bernardo Silva’s cutback and coolly curled his powerful drive around Darmian. Pity Nicolo Barella, the Inter midfielder who was sprinting, in vain, to cover the space Rodri exploited. Both are in Enschede with Italy and would be forgiven for feeling they have spent quite enough of their June trying to track Rodri’s midfield runs.
Darmian’s two partners in the Inter back three, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni, are also with Italy, as is the Inter wing-back Federico Dimarco. They were all congratulated for a valiant season by Roberto Mancini, the national head coach as they gathered for Azzurri duty.
It has been a curious week for Mancini, too. He has his own storied history at City, one that included delivering the club’s first Premier League title as their manager 11 years ago and several episodes of frustration with City in Europe.
Part of Mancini’s task this week has been to lift Italy’s spirits. Besides the five Inter men, his Roma duo Lorenzo Pellegrini and Leo Spinazzola lost a major final at the end of the club season, beaten on penalties in the Europa League by Sevilla.
Mancini knows a season in which Serie A acquitted itself well – Fiorentina were in the Europa Conference League final, and Napoli admired domestic champions – needs a national team heading in an upward direction.
Italy, who will next summer defend their European championship title, failed to reach the 2022 World Cup, a second successive absence from international football’s greatest showpiece. And contests with Spain tend to act as a barometer of the Azzurri’s state of health.
Jordi Alba, who by dint of seniority will captain the Spaniards on Thursday, was part of the Spain side who beat Italy to win the Euro 2012 final. Mancini’s Italians defeated Spain on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 2020; they then lost to Spain in the semi of the last Nations League finals, won by France.
On the other side, a new Spain era takes shape. Sergio Busquets, Spain’s previous skipper, has retired from national duty and the central midfield berth he filled for well over a decade is earmarked for Rodri, 26, whose high-achieving year has followed a curious path.
At the World Cup in Qatar, he was deployed at centre-back by his country, usually in partnership with Laporte. At City, he was meanwhile being encouraged to take up positions higher up the pitch than his anchor role had previously defined for him, thanks partly to City manager Pep Guardiola’s using John Stones as a hybrid defender-cum-midfielder.
Key Rodri goals were part of the dividend: against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last-eight and in the historic final. The new Spain head coach, Luis de la Fuente, who took over from Luis Enrique after the World Cup, likes that aspect of Rodri’s game and has so far rejected the idea of using him in the centre of defence.
He wants Spain to benefit from his soaring confidence. “He could not be more motivated,” De la Fuente said of Rodri. “Our City players have arrived here with exceptional motivation. They’ve just made history.”
Would Rodri and Laporte be sufficiently fresh, after the drawn-out celebrations of the treble, to play against Italy? “They’re responsible professionals. I’m certain they will be ready if needed.”
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
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Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Arrogate's winning run
1. Maiden Special Weight, Santa Anita Park, June 5, 2016
2. Allowance Optional Claiming, Santa Anita Park, June 24, 2016
3. Allowance Optional Claiming, Del Mar, August 4, 2016
4. Travers Stakes, Saratoga, August 27, 2016
5. Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Park, November 5, 2016
6. Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park, January 28, 2017
7. Dubai World Cup, Meydan Racecourse, March 25, 2017
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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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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