Al Ain striker Marcus Berg says he rejected interest from Europe this summer to remain at the UAE champions.
The Sweden international, 32, was a huge success last season during his debut campaign in UAE football, scoring 36 goals in 36 appearances to fire Al Ain to both the Arabian Gulf League title and the President’s Cup crown. He also sealed the top flight's Golden Boot.
The frontman’s form reportedly garnered attention from a number of clubs in Turkey and Greece, including Goztepe, PAOK and AEK Athens. Berg’s stock remains high in Greece having spent four prolific seasons at Panathinaikos before moving to Al Ain on a two-year contract.
However, speaking before this weekend’s Arabian Gulf Super Cup, Berg insisted he and his family were happy in the Emirates as Al Ain look to build on last season’s success.
"There have been different European clubs and some in Greece who have shown interest," he told Swedish publication Aftonbladet. "I'm in a good club and have a good contract with a year left, so I have not had any thought of changing club this summer."
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Read more:
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Marcus Berg proud of Sweden's World Cup campaign
Brazil manager Tite 'grateful' for spells in UAE football
Tagliabue says family key in signing new Al Wahda deal
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Part of the Sweden team who last month reached the World Cup quarter-finals, Berg featured in Saturday night’s Super Cup clash with Al Wahda, the traditional season-opener in UAE football.
Al Ain were 3-0 down at half time at Cairo’s 30 June Stadium before fighting back to level the match and force penalties, although Wahda went on to win the shoot-out. Berg missed from the spot in regulation time but then sparked the fight-back with a goal from open play. He converted also in the shoot-out.
On his side's first-half performance, Berg said: “We have to apologise to everyone. It was not Al Ain; it was not our quality. It was very bad from the start. So we have to be ashamed for that. In the second half we showed different quality and the level we should perform at.
"The first half we have to look back and see what we can do better. The second half, it’s the lowest level we should have for this season. We can perform like this the full year for every game. Both first and second half we have to learn from.
“When we play like the second half, this is our level. First half, when we’re not concentrated, when not doing the things we should, then we hurt ourselves. That’s the truth. So we have to learn from this and look forward to the season.”
Al Ain open their Arabian Gulf League defence on Friday, away to Emirates club.
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
THE%20SPECS
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Programme
Saturday, October 26: ‘The Time That Remains’ (2009) by Elia Suleiman
Saturday, November 2: ‘Beginners’ (2010) by Mike Mills
Saturday, November 16: ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ (2013) by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Tuesday, November 26: ‘All the President’s Men’ (1976) by Alan J Pakula
Saturday, December 7: ‘Timbuktu’ (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Saturday, December 21: ‘Rams’ (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson
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WIDE%20VIEW
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company%20Profile
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
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'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking