It has been a rollercoaster of a year for Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola that has seen historic highs and unexpected lows over a hectic 12 months.
In April, City's reign as European champions was ended at the quarter-final stage by eventual winners Real Madrid after a penalty shoot-out defeat at the Etihad Stadium but a historic fourth Premier League title in a row was sealed a month later.
A remarkable unbeaten run after losing at Aston Villa on December 6 saw City win 19 games and draw four which ensured they overtook long-time leaders Arsenal and finish the campaign two points above the Gunners.
But any hopes of becoming the first side to complete a domestic double in successive seasons were killed off when local rivals Manchester United sealed a 2-1 FA Cup final win after a surprisingly flat City performance at Wembley Stadium.
Guardiola's men started the new season in impressive fashion as City gained a semblance of revenge by beating United on penalties in the Community Shield and then embarked on a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
That streak was ended by Spurs in the League Cup last-16 on October 6 as injuries began to take their toll on City, who had already lost key midfielder and future Ballon d'Or winner Rodri for the season due to a serious knee injury.
But few could have predicted what followed as Guardiola – who signed a contract extension with the club in November – suffered the worst run of his managerial career as City won just once in 13 games.
They at least ended the year with a win – beating Leicester City 2-0 in Guardiola's 500th game as manager – but sit fifth in the table, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool and with a verdict on accusations that City breached Premier League financial rules – vehemently denied by the club – set to be revealed in the new year.
Salah sparkles but Liverpool future in doubt
For Liverpool attacker Mohammed Salah, 2024 ended just as it started – with the Egyptian superstar hitting the back of the net and setting up goals for teammates.
On New Year's Day, Salah scored two and set up another as Liverpool defeated Newcastle United 4-2 at Anfield in a campaign that saw him reach the 20-goal barrier across all competitions for the seventh consecutive season at the club.
Fast forward to December 29 and Salah notched one and provided two more as the Merseysiders thrashed West Ham United 5-0 as he ended the year top of both the Premier League goals and assists charts with 17 and 13, respectively.
His efforts at the London Stadium meant Salah reached 30 goal involvements in fewer games (18) than anyone in Premier League history, while also becoming only the second player to do so in 20 games after Luis Suarez for the Reds in 2013/14.
Any thoughts Liverpool might struggle after Jurgen Klopp's exit in the summer have been blown away under new manager Arne Slot, with the Merseysiders ending 2025 top of the table in both the Premier League and Champions League, having lost just once.
But what the future holds for Salah remains unclear as the 32-year-old's contract runs out at the end of the season and he can discuss a free transfer with non-English clubs from January 1.
Salah admitted after the West Ham win the two parties are “far away” from signing a new deal, with the Saudi Pro League still waiting in the wings to make him the kingdom's latest superstar signing.
Newcastle's Saudi owners given reality check
For the first time since taking over the club in October 2021, Newcastle's Saudi Arabian-backed consortium have hit major stumbling blocks in their bid to make the Magpies a major force in European football.
A nightmare injury list for much campaign resulted in Newcastle finishing seventh, missing out on European football in the process having seen their first Uefa Champions League campaign in 20 years end at the group stage, as well as losing respected sporting director Dan Ashworth to Manchester United.
During a summer of discontent on Tyneside, minority shareholders – and the consortium's public faces – Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi surprisingly headed for the St James' Park exit as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) increased its stake in the club.
But the big setback arrived in the form of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) which has meant Newcastle, who have spent around £400 million since the takeover, could not make any major signings for two transfer windows in a row.
It also resulted in the forced sales of young talents Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for around £65m to avoid a potential points deduction for breaking PSR rules.
There have also been reports of a rift between manager Eddie Howe and Ashworth's replacement Paul Mitchell while the club has found itself at loggerheads with Premier League rivals over changes to rules governing commercial deals.
Howe's side at least ended the year in positive fashion, winning five games on the spin – including Monday's game at Manchester United – and with a two-legged League Cup semi-final against Arsenal coming up in the new year.
Misery for Manchester United
The year has ended in disastrous fashion for Manchester United with the club experiencing turmoil on and off the pitch.
The decision to stick with manager Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final victory proved a mistake with the Dutchman being sacked after a run that saw them win just once in eight games and the club sitting 14th in the table.
Ten Hag's replacement Ruben Amorim has struggled to make an impact and has just become the first United manager to lose five of his opening 10 games since Walter Crickmer in 1932.
New sporting director Ashworth – brought in at great expense and fanfare from Newcastle – lasted just five months in the role before he was forced out after overseeing a £200m summer spend on Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Light and Noussair Mazraoui.
Billionaire co-owner Jim Ratcliffe is coming under increasing criticism for a cost-cutting spree that has included making a quarter of the club's workforce redundant, raising match day ticket prices with concessions for children or pensioners taken away and cutting an annual £40,000 donation to a charity which helps support former players.
These measures arrive after the club confirmed the cost of paying off Ten Hag and his staff was £10.4m while the release clause to bring in Amorim from Sporting Lisbon cost £11m.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
EA Sports FC 24
MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
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THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
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.”
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
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The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
The%20specs
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
