Two months after becoming a World Cup winner with France, Kylian Mbappe remains the man of the moment.
The teenager, the second most expensive player in football history after his 2017 move from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain, is on the cover of Time magazine's current 'Next Generation Leaders' issue, only the fourth footballer in the magazine's 95-year history.
“My life has been totally turned upside down,” he tells the American magazine. “I did not have the moments of so-called normal people during adolescence, like going out with friends, enjoying good times.”
From a virtual unknown to a man with 20 million Instagram followers in two years, Mbappe insists he is enjoying the ride. He certainly looks like he is.
Playing alongside Neymar and Edinson Cavani in a stellar attack, he scored four goals in only 13 minutes last week against a Lyon team who had been good enough to beat Manchester City. The Parisian followed that up with two late goals for France as they came back to draw 2-2 with Iceland last Thursday.
France play an out of sorts Germany on Tuesday night in a Uefa Nations League game at the Stade de France, with the Germans hammered 3-0 by the Netherlands on Saturday. France and Germany drew 0-0 in Munich last month, with Germany the better side, but France are world champions and Mbappe is their most exciting player.
His rise has been meteoric and he is a nominee for the 2018 Ballon d’Or after winning the World Cup and helping PSG to a domestic treble, but Mbappe might have ended up in England.
At 16, he was recommended to Leicester City, but the lead was not followed up. Chelsea watched him more closely and he went to London, before deciding that he did not have the required work rate to make it in the Premier League.
Manchester City were always keen, but Mbappe was not happy going back to England after his Chelsea experience. City later bid for him and there was interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona for the Clairefontaine graduate.
Chelsea were wrong.
Mbappe already had the X-factor and he was so fast he could have had after burners attached to his legs. He is direct, dynamic and he can finish.
Intelligent, too - Mbappe does not feel that he needs an agent outside his family to negotiate on his behalf. He donated his fee for winning the World Cup to charity and is very close to his family.
"I have learned that the biggest stars and the greatest players are the most humble ones, the ones who respect people the most," he told Time. "There are three criteria: respect, humility and lucidity.
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"My mother has always told me that to become a great football player, you must be before all a great man.”
Mbappe stayed in France and signed professional at Monaco before moving his family from Paris, the city which produces more top footballers than any other on the planet.
Paul Pogba, Benjamin Mendy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, Lucas Digne, Nicolas Anelka, Moussa Sissoko, Blaise Matuidi, Adrien Rabiot, Kingsley Coman, Thierry Henry, Anthony Martial and Patrice Evra all grew up in Paris, most of them in the football factories on the outskirts of the city.
Most also had to leave Paris to get their break in football. Mbappe headed south to Monaco and the decision was vindicated as he broke into Monaco’s first team as their youngest ever player at 16 years 347 days in December 2015.
In the following season, he was the star as Monaco reached the Uefa Champions League semi-final and won Ligue 1. Mbappe scored 26 goals in 44 matches.
The lure of PSG and a return to his home city was too strong and he is loved by the fans at Parc de Princes. “Kylian MBappe! Kylian MBappe! Kylian Mbappe!” they sing under the thick concrete roof in one of Paris’ best arrondissements or administrative divisions.
It is not just the vocal fans behind the goal – the directors were singing for Mbappe against Lyon last week. It is a world away from where he grew up on the outskirts of the city, the son of a Cameroonian father and a mother of Algerian origin.
Mbappe has played 25 times for France, scoring 10 goals. He has already reached the top while still a teenager, winning the World Cup, a trophy so many greats have not lifted. Yet to be considered a legendary player, he will need to perform consistently season after season, standing out in the biggest matches.
A competition home game against Germany on Tuesday night is not a bad one in which to continue his spectacular form.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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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Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
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
