• Lionel Messi shares a joke with Jordi Alba, right, who took part in his first training session with Inter Miami on Wednesday, August 1, 2023. Alba joined his new teammates at Florida Blue Training Centre in Fort Lauderdale following his arrival from Barcelona as they prepared for their Leagues Cup Round of 32 match against Orlando City on Thursday. EPA
    Lionel Messi shares a joke with Jordi Alba, right, who took part in his first training session with Inter Miami on Wednesday, August 1, 2023. Alba joined his new teammates at Florida Blue Training Centre in Fort Lauderdale following his arrival from Barcelona as they prepared for their Leagues Cup Round of 32 match against Orlando City on Thursday. EPA
  • Inter Miami's new Spanish defender Jordi Alba, centre, trains with teammates. AFP
    Inter Miami's new Spanish defender Jordi Alba, centre, trains with teammates. AFP
  • Lionel Messi, second left, talks with Jordi Alba, centre, during Inter Miami training. AP
    Lionel Messi, second left, talks with Jordi Alba, centre, during Inter Miami training. AP
  • Jordi Alba at Inter Miami training. Getty
    Jordi Alba at Inter Miami training. Getty
  • Jordi Alba attends his first training session. EPA
    Jordi Alba attends his first training session. EPA
  • Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami training. Getty
    Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami training. Getty
  • Lionel Messi takes part in Inter Miami training. AP
    Lionel Messi takes part in Inter Miami training. AP
  • Lionel Messi takes part in an Inter Miami training session. Getty
    Lionel Messi takes part in an Inter Miami training session. Getty
  • Lionel Messi trains. Getty
    Lionel Messi trains. Getty
  • Forward Lionel Messi throws a ball during a training session. AP
    Forward Lionel Messi throws a ball during a training session. AP
  • Lionel Messi at training. Getty
    Lionel Messi at training. Getty
  • Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba. Getty
    Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba. Getty
  • Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba chat at training. Getty
    Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba chat at training. Getty
  • Midfielder Diego Gomez, centre, and forward Josef Martinez, right, take part in a training session. AP
    Midfielder Diego Gomez, centre, and forward Josef Martinez, right, take part in a training session. AP

Jordi Alba trains with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami for first time – in pictures


Stuart James
  • English
  • Arabic

Jordi Alba joined Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates for his first training session since joining the MLS club from Barcelona.

The Spanish star, 34, moved to the US club on a free transfer after his contract at the Catalan giants, where he spent 11 seasons and won the Champions League in 2015, was terminated by mutual consent in May.

Alba's signing for Inter Miami was announced last week shortly before Messi made his debut against Cruz Azul, when the Argentine scored with a last-minute free-kick to seal a 2-1 victory.

The left-back's arrival in Florida was delayed by the birth of his third child but he joined his new teammates at Florida Blue Training Centre in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, August 1, as they prepared for their Leagues Cup Round of 32 match against Orlando City on Thursday.

Alba is the third former Barca star to sign for the Florida club alongside Messi and Sergio Busquets.

In the gallery above, you can see Alba, Messi and Busquets training in Florida.

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now 

Buy farm-fresh food

The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.

In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others. 

In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food. 

In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra. 

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
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Panipat

Director Ashutosh Gowariker

Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment

Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman

Rating 3 /stars

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Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press

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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.

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

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Tips to avoid getting scammed

1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday

2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment

3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone

4) Try not to close the sale at night

5) Don't be rushed into a sale 

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

Updated: August 02, 2023, 7:36 AM