Ollie Watkins could scarcely have imagined scoring the winning goal to send England through to the final of Euro 2024 when he was struggling to carve out a career in the lower ranks of English football less than a decade ago.
It was just over four years ago that striker Watkins was playing his club football at Brentford, then in England's second tier. Rewind nine years, and he had just finished a loan spell at non-league Weston-super-Mare from Exeter City, then in the third division of England's football pyramid.
"You can dream but I am a realist. I was just focused on getting back into the first team at Exeter," Watkins replied when asked about his journey from a footballing outpost on England's west coast to the nation's hero in Dortmund.
"I didn't dream about that to be honest. I can't lie and say I did. Scoring for England is amazing but I didn't think I'd do it in a tournament like that."
If Watkins' journey is one of rags to riches, it has faint echoes of another of England's heroes from the past.
The year 1966 is permanently etched in England's footballing history. It was the year the Three Lions won their first, and to this day, only major men's trophy when they beat West Germany in the World Cup final on home soil.
The hero that day? Geoff Hurst, who started the tournament on the bench but would go on to score four goals in the knockout stages including a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over the Germans in the final.
Hurst's elevation from back-up to national treasure meant usurping England's best striker. Jimmy Greaves is widely acknowledged as the greatest finisher England has ever produced, but his underwhelming performances at the 1966 World Cup forced Alf Ramsey to turn to his understudy.
Fast forward 58 years and current England boss Gareth Southgate finds himself in a similar predicament.
There are fresh calls for Harry Kane, England's record scorer, to be jettisoned for Sunday's final against Spain after another lacklustre display against the Dutch.
The Bayern Munich striker won and then converted a highly contentious penalty to cancel out Xavi Simons' opener, but that really was the extent of his contribution.
It is a cruel twist that Kane's position in the team should be under scrutiny. No player has scored more goals in the knockout stages of the European Championship and Kane's three strikes during this tournament has him joint-first in the race for the Golden Boot.
Kane's 66 goals for England is a record, and there is no other player in his squad Southgate would have wanted to take such a high-pressure penalty in a major semi-final than his talisman, but a huge part of Kane's game is based around his hold-up play and ability to draw fouls from opposition defenders to alleviate pressure on his own teammates.
Those qualities have been sorely lacking in Germany, where Kane plays his club football and where he had enjoyed a record-breaking individual season that heralded 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern Munich. Those exploits appeared to have dulled Kane at these Euros, and with his impact limited, calls for his ouster grow louder.
Kane is by no means alone in underperforming. The opening 45 minutes against the Netherlands was by a considerable distance England's best at Euro 2024 so far. Southgate has been criticised throughout for delaying making tactical substitutes when the game is slipping away from England's grasp, as was the case against the Netherlands. But the introduction of Watkins for Kane and Cole Palmer for Phil Foden, England's best player up to that point, midway through the second half was inspired.
It was Palmer who supplied Watkins for the latter's goal, the substitute showing a turn of pace that forced Stefan de Vrij to track an England striker towards his own goal for the first time all evening, in the final minute of the regulation 90. The Aston Villa striker, still with his back to goal, took a touch and fired low into the far corner to leave the Netherlands bewildered.
"When I was on the bench I said to [sub keeper] Dean Henderson, 'I can make a difference today and need to get on'. I took my chance, scored it and now we are in the final. One last game," Watkins said after the match.
"I'm lost for words really. I don't think I've hit a ball that sweet before, and obviously in such a special moment."
Watkins' goal – timed at 89:59 – was the latest winning goal scored in a European Championship or World Cup semi-final, excluding extra time.
Kane was effusive in his praise of the player who many are now clamoring to replace him in the starting lineup to face Spain.
"We talk about being ready," said Kane. "We're a big team at being ready.
"When it matters, you might get five minutes, one minute, but you can make a difference, you can win us a tournament. He's been waiting, he's been patient.
"What he did was outstanding and he deserves it."
England will have to step up another level if they are to win only a second major trophy against a Spain side who will start Sunday's final in Berlin as favourites.
"We play the team who've been the best team in the tournament and we have a day less to prepare so it's a huge task. But we're still here and we're fighting," Southgate said.
Whether Southgate will show loyalty and stick with his talisman Kane or be bold and go with Watkins remains to be seen.
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson
Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
Party headquarters
Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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.”
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E680hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E800Nm%20at%202%2C750-6%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERear-mounted%20eight-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E13.6L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Orderbook%20open%3B%20deliveries%20start%20end%20of%20year%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh970%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
