Any player wanting to be remembered as a great at Manchester United knows that achievements on the pitch must be matched by endeavours off it.
One current United player making an impact on both counts is Marcus Rashford.
With the January transfer window open, the CIES Football Observatory last week released its latest biannual transfer value list, with United striker Rashford rated the most valuable player in the world at €165 million ($200m).
The CIES list charts how much a club would have to pay to sign a player across Europe's big five leagues, based on advanced algorithms dictated by key factors such as a player's age, the length of their contract, their club's financial situation and any previous transfer fees.
Rashford is also on track to record his best season in senior football, having scored 15 so far in all competitions.
I venture to say that in the short term he will be the captain of United.
At just 23, Rashford has already accumulated vast experience for his club and will be looking to spearhead England's attack along with the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling at this year's Euro 2020 tournament.
But Rashford has usurped his footballing achievements this year with his social activism in recent times, becoming one of those few players who become a giant inside and outside the four lines.
Undoubtedly, the generous contributions of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and others were very important in the beginning of the pandemic, but Rashford's role in fighting for good causes is on another level entirely.
When Covid-19 reached the UK last year, the United and England star was not content with making financial donations or simply training at home, waiting until football started again.
Instead, seeing a need in the wider community, he began to make a tangible difference in the lives of the less fortunate.
Rashford helped raise money and raise awareness of FareShare, an organisation that redistributes surplus food to charities, which are later turned into meals for those in need. Having grown up poor, Rashford knew only too well the perils of not knowing where the next healthy meal was coming from.
In the UK, there are more than 32,000 schools. With closures during both the first and second wave of the pandemic, many of the children who relied on schools for free meals were suddenly deprived of it.
With his help, more than £20m ($27.4m) has been raised and Fareshare now provides three million meals a week to underprivileged children across the UK.
The Manchester-born striker has also successfully campaigned for the UK government to provide more than a million school children with access to free lunch vouchers. This campaign earned him an MBE in the New Year's Honours list.
Rashford's contribution to charitable causes was duly recognised at The Best Fifa Football Awards 2020 ceremony, in which he was named the first Fifa Foundation Award winner for his outstanding humanitarian work in combating child poverty.
There is no doubt that Rashford will be one of the great players in United's history for what he does on the pitch, but he will also be an idol of a great nation for everything he has done off it too.
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
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%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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