MADRID // World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he has no intentions of slowing down after firing 12 goals in his first eight appearances this season.
Ronaldo followed up his hat-trick in a 8-2 rout of Deportivo la Coruna last weekend by scoring four times in a match for the third time in his Madrid career as the European champions continued their return to form with a 5-1 thrashing of Elche in midweek.
Read more: Good and rested, Cristiano Ronaldo fires in four for Real Madrid: ‘He is very motivated’
Real also received a boost as Barcelona dropped points for the first time this season against Malaga to cut their lead over Madrid to just four points.
And with a tricky trip away to Villarreal this weekend on the horizon, Ronaldo says he will not be resting as coach Carlo Ancelotti rotates his squad.
“We are at the start of the season and I want to play to gain confidence and rhythm,” said Ronaldo.
“When the right games come I will rest and rotate, but now isn’t the right moment. I want to be continue to be better.”
Ronaldo’s goalscoring record so far this season is all the more remarkable as he took a three-week break at the beginning of the campaign to ease knee and hamstring injuries.
Ancelotti said in midweek that break had been key to his sensational return to form, but, worryingly for Real’s rivals, Ronaldo believes he can still improve physically after suffering from tendonitis in his left knee towards the end of last season.
“I feel good and without any pain. I am still improving and I have a little way to go so I want to continue like this.
“I can still be better physically. I trained really hard during the break after not having a good pre-season, but now I feel confident and without pain.”
Ancelotti also confirmed after the win over Elche that Karim Benzema and Luka Modric would return to the side for the trip to El Madrigal with Isco and Asier Illarramendi set to drop to the bench.
However, the Italian’s biggest decision is who to play in goal after handing a debut to Keylor Navas in midweek after starting captain Iker Casillas for Real’s first eight games of the season.
Barcelona appear to have an easier task on paper as they return home to the Camp Nou to face Granada after back-to-back away fixtures.
Luis Enrique’s men stretched their run of clean sheets to six games this season in a turgid 0-0 draw at Malaga, but failed to manage a single shot on target during the 90 minutes.
Enrique is likely to make a number of changes ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Lionel Messi could even be rested as the Argentine is the only Barca player to have started every game so far this season.
Barcelona were knocked off the top of table on Thursday on goals scored after Valencia defeated Cordoba 3-0.
The game of the weekend comes at the Vicente Calderon as champions Atletico Madrid host Sevilla who are third on 13 points, the same as Valencia ans Barcelona.
Atletico got back to winning ways in midweek with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Almeria, but needed their sixth goal out of seven they have scored in the league so far this season from a set-piece to do so as centre-back Miranda headed home his third goal of the season.
Sevilla are likely to prove an even tougher test, though, as they moved onto 13 points after five games thanks to their fourth consecutive victory at home to Real Sociedad in midweek.
Fixtures (in UAE time)
Friday
Elche v Celta Vigo, 11pm
Saturday
Villarreal v Real Madrid, 6pm
Barcelona v Granada, 8pm
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla, 10pm
Athletic Bilbao v Eibar, midnight
Levante v Rayo Vallecano, midnight
Sunday
Getafe v Malaga, 2pm
Deportivo la Coruna v Almeria, 7pm
Real Sociedad v Valencia, 9pm
Cordoba v Espanyol, 11pm
Follow our sports coverage on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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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.”
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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