Cristiano Ronaldo has 'tested positive for coronavirus 18 times' and will miss clash against Lionel Messi - reports

Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive again for coronavirus on the eve of Juventus's Champions League clash against his great rival Lionel Messi's Barcelona, according to reports.

Portuguese TVI reported that Ronaldo "has once against tested positive for Covid-19" following a swab carried out by Juventus. According to the television channel, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has now tested positive 18 times.

The 35-year-old is now awaiting the result of a UEFA test which, if also positive, would rule him out of the Group G game in Turin.

Ronaldo first tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks ago while playing with Portugal, and has been in self-isolation since returning to Italy.

Ronaldo needed to return a negative test, 24 hours before the game to be allowed to play, according to UEFA rules.

Juventus only confirm if a player has recovered, with Sky Sport Italia and Gazzetta Dello Sport reporting that Ronaldo will miss the Barcelona game.

"Ronaldo had a test like everyone else, this evening (Tuesday) we will have the definitive result," coach Andrea Pirlo told a press conference earlier on Tuesday.

"For now it's all on the high seas, when the final result comes everything will be clearer.

"Depending on the result, we'll see what we do. It's not easy to play an entire game after 15 days of inactivity."

Cristiano Ronaldo's last appearance was for Portugal against France on October 11. Reuters

Ronaldo, who has no symptoms, has missed three games including his side's 2-0 Champions League win at Dynamo Kiev last week.

The clash would be the first between Ronaldo and Messi since the Portugal forward left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.

"For 15 years, Messi and Ronaldo have done great things," said former Italy and Juventus midfielder Pirlo.

"For the first time, I'll be taking on Messi as a coach, I'll treat him with the enormous respect that he deserves."

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman added: "We always want the best to be on the pitch, and Ronaldo is a great player.

Juventus v Barcelona - past meetings

April 9, 2003 - Champions League quarter-final first leg - Juventus 1 (Montero 16') Barcelona 1 (Saviola 78'): Honours even at the Stadio Delle Alpi. Uruguayan defender Paolo Montero had given Marcello Lippi's side an early lead only for another South American, the Argentine Javier Saviola, to score with 12 minutes left to seemingly put Barca in pole position for the return leg in Spain. Getty
April 22, 2003 - Champions League quarter-final second-leg - Barcelona 1 (Xavi 66') Juventus 2 (Nedved 53' Zalayeta 114'). Juve win 3-2 on aggregate AET: Midfielder Pavel Nedved and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon were at the heart of 10-man Juve's win in Catalonia. Barca's Xavi Hernandez had cancelled out Nedved's opener only for Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids to receive a second yellow with 10 minutes left. But in extra-time, two brilliant Buffon saves and a winner from substitute Marcelo Zalayeta took the Italians through. Juve would go on to lose to AC Milan on penalties in the final. Getty
June 6, 2015 - Champions League final - Juventus 1 (Morata 55') Barcelona 3 (Rakitic 4', Suarez 68', Neymar 90 +7'): Barca's third European crown in six years was sealed thanks to their magnificent attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. In a thrilling game in Berlin, Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic gave the Spaniard's a flying start only for Alvaro Morata to level the scores in the second half. But goals from Suarez and then, deep in injury time, Neymar meant Luis Enrique's side completed the treble after winning domestic league and cup competitions. Getty
April 11, 2017 - Champions League quarter-final first leg - Juventus 3 (Dybala 7' & 22', Chiellini 55') Barcelona 0: Juve took full control of the tie with a superb display less than two years after their beating in Berlin at the hands of Barca. Argentine forward Paulo Dybala's two early goals put Massimiliano Allegri's side in the driving seat before a Giorgio Chiellini header looked to have booked the Italian's semi-final spot, barring a remarkable turnaround in Spain. Getty
April 19, 2017 - Champions League quarter-final first leg - Barcelona 0 Juventus 0: There was to be no stunning fightback from Barca as Juventus produced a defensive masterclass, led by Italian defender Chiellini, at Camp Nou. Messi, Suarez and Neymar came up against a black and white wall this time round as Barca were restricted to just one shot on target. To make matters worse for the Spaniards, arch-rivals Real Madrid would go on to win the competition, battering Juve 4-1 in the final. Getty
September 12, 2017 - Champions League Group D - Barcelona 3 (Messi 45' & 69'), Rakitic 56') Juventus 0: Just five months after their last meeting, the two European giants clashed again, this time it was Messi and Barca who were firmly in charge. The Argentine genius hit two brilliant goals, with a Rakitic strike sandwiched in the middle, to earn Ernesto Valverde's side a convincing group stage win at Camp Nou. Getty
November 22, 2017 - Champions League Group D - Juventus 0 Barcelona 0: Messi was surprisingly left on the bench for the return match in Turin as the match finished goalless - although Barca dominated possession and created the game's better chances. Barca finished top of their group, with Juve also qualifying for the knockout stages. Both would fall at the quarter-final stage, though. Barca would throw away a 4-1 first-leg lead against Roma by losing the second leg 3-0 and going out on away goals. Juve would narrowly lose 4-3 on aggregate to Real Madrid, who would again go on to win the final. Getty

"I don't know if he will be in condition to play, that's not my problem. But if Ronaldo is there, it is one more reason for us to be ready."

Koeman, like Pirlo, has taken over as coach this season, with the teams top of Group G after winning their opening fixtures.

But the Dutch manager has been under pressure after a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid at the weekend followed a 1-0 loss to Getafe, the first time in four years the Catalan giants have suffered consecutive defeats in the league.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu also resigned on Tuesday along with his board of directors, following mounting pressure from fans and his public falling out with Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi now look set to meet again in the reverse fixture at the Nou Camp on December 8.

Messi, 33, has featured in four victorious campaigns for Barcelona, while Ronaldo has won the Champions League five times, four with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United.

Messi has six Ballon d'Or titles with Ronaldo claiming five. However Ronaldo has 130 Champions League goals to Messi's 116.

"It's clear that any team would miss a player like Cristiano," said Brazil defender Danilo at the pre-match press conference.

"But we have faith in every player on the team. We have people who want to do well and help us have a great match."

Messi has won 16 of their 35 encounters to Ronaldo's 10, with the remaining nine ending in draws.

The pair have only met five times in Champions League games, most recently in the semi-final in 2011.

Pirlo also has defensive worries with captain Giorgio Chiellini, and Matthijs De Ligt out but fellow centreback Leonardo Bonucci's thigh strain will be evaluated on Wednesday morning.

"These are the matches that everyone would like to play. We have this opportunity and we can't wait to test ourselves against Barcelona," said Pirlo.

"It's not a decisive game, but we still want to see what our value is."

Argentina forward Paulo Dybala remains "a bit tired" after playing for 90 minutes in his first match in over three months last Sunday against Verona.

"It's normal after the first game as a starter. He'll have time to recover and play tomorrow night."

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

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Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

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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.”

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Three trading apps to try

Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:

For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”

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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.

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