Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo landed in Dubai along with his Al Nassr teammates as the Saudi Pro League club prepare for their Asian Champions League match against Iranian side Esteghlal.
The fixture between the two sides was scheduled to be held at the Qods City Martyrs Stadium in Tehran. However, the AFC asked home team Esteghlal to find another venue in a neutral country for the match due to unrest in the region.
A decision was made to host the match at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai, that is home to UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli, on Tuesday (8pm kick-off).
On Monday, Ronaldo and the rest of his Saudi club teammates landed in Dubai hoping to continue the good form they have shown recently.
Al Nassr have won six matches in a row across competitions, with their most recent being a 2-1 win over Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League where Ronaldo scored the winner via a 97th minute penalty.
Al Nassr have four points from the first two games in the ACL and can take a big step towards the next round with victory in Dubai. The revamped tournament now consists of two groups of 12 with the top eight from each advancing to the round of 16.
“There are a lot of games at the moment and it is not easy,” Al Nassr manager Stefano Pioli said. “We will do our best to maintain our performances in the Asian Champions League.”
In their previous match in the competition, Ronaldo’s curling effort in the 76th minute secured Al Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Al Rayyan at the King Saud University Stadium.
After missing a number of chances, the Portuguese great opened his account in the 2024/25 Asian Champions League. Ronaldo later revealed that he was emotional after scoring as it was his late father’s birthday.
“The match was difficult and we knew that, and we were ready for it, and we were able to achieve victory. It is not important for me now to be the best player or to win awards, what is important to me now is to enjoy and be useful to my team and my national team,” Ronaldo told the AFC website.
“It is good that the player scores, but what is important to me now is to enjoy playing and winning, and as I said, numbers do not matter to me, but today's goal has a different taste and I wish my father was alive because today is his birthday.
“Life under pressure is the normal life for me, and this life has accompanied me since the first day I wore the Manchester United shirt and I believe that pressure will accompany me until the last day of my life.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
