Los Angeles // Poland international midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak said on Friday he had moved to Paris Saint-Germain to power the French giant to an elusive first Uefa Champions League trophy.
The Qatar-backed club dominates at home, having won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, but has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite competition.
"PSG is one of the biggest clubs in Europe," said Krychowiak, who was in Los Angeles with his new teammates for the pre-season International Champions Cup (ICC).
“Coming here gives you the opportunity not only to play in the Champions League but also the opportunity to win it. And that motivates the player, makes you want to come here and be part of that adventure.”
The 26-year-old won back-to-back Europa League titles with Sevilla before signing for PSG on a five-year deal earlier in July for a reported 26 million euros ($28.9 million).
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Krychowiak, who started his career at Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, links up again with former Sevilla coach Unai Emery, now at the helm of PSG.
“Every year PSG is progressing, evolving and getting better, and I try to do the same in my career,” said the midfielder, who was part of Poland’s Euro 2016 squad eliminated in the quarter-finals by Portugal.
“I went to Sevilla to become a better player. That was the aim for me going there, and in coming back to play for PSG -- one of the best teams in the world.”
Krychowiak was PSG’s second recruit of the summer after French international midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa from Nice.
The French champions have also secured the services of Belgian international Thomas Meunier from FC Bruges, pipping rivals from across Europe to get the deal across the line.
The 1.90 metre (6ft 3in) right-back, 24, who featured twice for Belgium at Euro 2016, has signed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
“When a club like PSG knocks at your door, you can’t hesitate too long to make a decision,” Meunier told reporters at the StubHub Center, home of the LA Galaxy.
“I asked myself a lot of questions. Coming from the Belgian league, would I be able to step up to the level played here?”
But he added: “I couldn’t refuse PSG, I couldn’t turn down coming to join one of the top five European clubs.”
Emery took over at PSG last month from Laurent Blanc, who won the domestic treble twice in a row but failed to make substantial progress in Europe.
The team faces surprise English champions Leicester City on Saturday in the ICC, an exhibition tournament which involves 17 clubs playing on four continents.
The Foxes, 5,000/1 outsiders in pre-season, were crowned champions for the first time in their 132-year history in May, beating much bigger rivals like Manchester United and Arsenal to the title.
“It’s a pleasure to see the Leicester City story -- it’s great for football,” said Emery.
“It’s such a fantastic story that not only the big teams can win the Premier League, but also a small team like Leicester who can come up and overcome all that competition.
“Thanks to the Premier League, their story has become recognized worldwide, which makes tomorrow’s match even bigger -- the French champions against the English champions.”
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
