It ranks as an underwhelming, unsuitable ending for one of the great warriors of his generation. Tuesday is officially Pablo Zabaleta’s last day in English football. He leaves West Ham without having played in four months, with their fate undecided and with the possibility his legacy will be tarnished by relegation.
And yet even in anti-climax, there is something honourable and something fitting. Zabaleta turned down a contract extension because he would not be fit to give his trademark 100 per cent.
It means his last game came at the ground where he has a lifetime season ticket. He was serenaded by the Manchester City fans who adored him at the Etihad Stadium in February. Three years at West Ham seem a postscript to a nine-season stay further north. Few adopted Mancunians come from 7,000 miles away but the ultra-committed Argentine became regarded as one of their own.
Micah Richards has a unique perspective on the career of one of the Premier League’s most popular imports. For years, he was Zabaleta’s rival for the right-back spot: ultimately it was a battle the Englishman lost.
In his earlier days, a big-match player was often used at left-back by Roberto Mancini, especially against elite opponents. It was testament to Zabaleta’s can-do mentality.
"There were a lot of games where I played right-back and he played left-back," Richards reflected. "I have always had respect for Zabaleta. At City, he came as a centre midfielder, a holding midfielder, he played a lot of games in midfield, then left-back, right-back, right wing, left wing, filling in for people."
But the person most affected by his refusal to accept defeat was the right-back Richards. “It was my place to lose really because ability-wise I believe I had more than him,” he said. “But he had a great rapport with the fans.
"No matter how he played, he would always give 100 per cent. Some players work their backsides off every single week but to fans it might not look like they are working but when you had Zabaleta on the pitch, you just knew you were going to war with him.
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Tottenham v West Ham ratings
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“I knew if he would get a head-start on me or if I got injured, it would be so hard to get back in the team because he was so consistent in the way he played. He was borderline impossible to dislodge because of the standards he set.”
So it proved. Richards was the regular for much of the 2011-12 title-winning campaign but was displaced for the final few weeks. Then, when he had an injury-hit campaign, Zabaleta deservedly won City’s Player of the Year award in 2012-13. A talismanic figure was a force of nature, forever defiant in a disappointing season.
Zabaleta joined City weeks before Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 takeover. As City upgraded their squad and expanded their ambitions, it was a question of who rose to the challenge. Zabaleta did.
“His attacking had improved because he was playing with better players,” Richards said. “With his defending, the timing of his challenges was spot on and he was a real leader, he would fill in for Vincent Kompany and he took his game to the next level. Every single week, he was seven or eight out of 10. After I got injured, I was never getting back into the team because he set the bar so high.”
The West Ham years have featured the same idiosyncratic brand of commitment, albeit with a gradual loss of pace, power and ultimately his place. But at his peak, Zabaleta was a buccaneering, indefatigable presence. As Richards recalled: “He became a Man City favourite and one of the best right-backs in the league.”
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
RACE CARD
6.30pm Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.40pm Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m
8.15pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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