When young powers Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City meet at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, they will do so as two clubs looking for confirmation.
Two of Europe’s most recently established powerhouses thanks to large investments from their owners Abu Dhabi United Group and Qatar Sports Investment, City are in the last eight for the first time while PSG are there for the fourth year in succession.
The stakes are high, and it will all be a far cry from the only previous meeting of the teams, only a little over seven years ago.
On a cold December night in 2008, PSG visited City’s Eastlands home for a Uefa Cup group stage tie that ended in an uninspiring 0-0 draw watched by 25,626 spectators.
It was just a few months after City had been taken over by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed and the Abu Dhabi United Group, and future England goalkeeper Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta and current captain Vincent Kompany were all in their team that night, as was a teenage Daniel Sturridge.
None of that night’s PSG team remain at the club today – instead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic they had Peguy Luyindula and Mateja Kezman up front, while there was no Thiago Silva in defence, but Sammy Traore and Gregory Bourillon were playing.
Read more: Old looking Manchester City giving glimpse into end of an era, writes Richard Jolly
Also see: Diego Forlan: Manchester City, Pep Guardiola and Manuel Pellegrini all know the deal, coaches come and go
If the clubs – whose only European silverware to date is one Cup Winners’ Cup each – have become Champions League regulars, City were only in Europe in 2008/09 as England’s Fair Play representatives.
PSG, meanwhile, had come close to being relegated from Ligue 1 the previous season but did win the Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup) and lost to champions Lyon in the Coupe de France (French Cup) final.
Both teams went on to reach the quarter-finals, City losing to Hamburg and PSG to Dynamo Kiev, but it was an instantly forgettable encounter.
"A half-full Eastlands was given an example of European football at its most tedious," said the British Daily Telegraph.
“It was hardly the kind of occasion that will tempt the likes of Lionel Messi, Iker Casillas or Kaka to consider life in the blue half of Manchester.”
Well, City’s standing now is such that, with Pep Guardiola taking over as coach next season, it is not stretching the imagination too much to imagine Messi appearing at the Etihad Stadium at some point in the future.
That year they were an emerging force and ranked 19th in analysts Deloitte’s Football Money League, while PSG were nowhere to be seen.
Indeed, before the clubs' meeting, Le Parisien marvelled that City's budget for the January transfer window would be twice PSG's entire budget for the year.
The same Deloitte report for the 2014/15 season ranked both clubs in the top six, along with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, long-established superpowers who between them have won the Champions League five times since 2009 and been runners-up four times.
"Now we are in there with clubs who are as powerful as us financially, who have much greater histories and who possess players as talented as ours. This is the 'creme de la creme'," PSG coach Laurent Blanc told France Info on Saturday.
The challenge now for PSG and City – whose combined revenues for last season were €944.3 million (Dh3.95 billion) – is to get to the final themselves.
PSG’s explosion since their takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011 has been more emphatic than City’s, with four straight French titles compared to two since 2008 for City.
City can say that competition is much fiercer in the Premier League, but they come into this tie as the outsiders, despite being able to call on the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.
That is testament to how far PSG have come in a short space of times, but these two clubs are the proof that anyone can emerge and compete with the traditional continental giants, at least if they can find an investor with the resources to back such a project.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
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.
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
