• Manchester United player Marcus Rashford and his mother Melanie visit FareShare Greater Manchester at New Smithfield Market, Manchester. AP Photo
    Manchester United player Marcus Rashford and his mother Melanie visit FareShare Greater Manchester at New Smithfield Market, Manchester. AP Photo
  • Marcus Rashford, seen here on the left, waged a high-profile campaign to persuade the Government to provide free meals to vulnerable youngsters in England throughout the school holidays during the coronavirus pandemic. AP Photo
    Marcus Rashford, seen here on the left, waged a high-profile campaign to persuade the Government to provide free meals to vulnerable youngsters in England throughout the school holidays during the coronavirus pandemic. AP Photo
  • Staff at The Watering Can Restaurant and Cafe in Liverpool's Greenbank Park prepare free half-term meal packs for children. Getty Images
    Staff at The Watering Can Restaurant and Cafe in Liverpool's Greenbank Park prepare free half-term meal packs for children. Getty Images
  • Camp Manager Georgia Marks and Leigh Ellwood, owner of Planet Youth holiday and after school camps, prepare food lunch packs for those who are in need of free children’s meals over the half term holiday, in Muswell Hill, London. Getty Images
    Camp Manager Georgia Marks and Leigh Ellwood, owner of Planet Youth holiday and after school camps, prepare food lunch packs for those who are in need of free children’s meals over the half term holiday, in Muswell Hill, London. Getty Images
  • A young boy carries free half-term meal packs for himself and his sibling from the Watering Can Cafe in Liverpool. Getty Images
    A young boy carries free half-term meal packs for himself and his sibling from the Watering Can Cafe in Liverpool. Getty Images
  • Volunteers from Richmond Rugby prepare to deliver meals to local school children on the Ivybridge estate in Twickenham, south west London. AFP
    Volunteers from Richmond Rugby prepare to deliver meals to local school children on the Ivybridge estate in Twickenham, south west London. AFP
  • Vikki Long from the Barkers of Richmond fish and chip shop prepares a serving of fish and chips on. The chip shop are offering family meal deals throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images
    Vikki Long from the Barkers of Richmond fish and chip shop prepares a serving of fish and chips on. The chip shop are offering family meal deals throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images
  • A waitress serves a meal at a cafe in the Richmond Victorian indoor market. The cafe are offering free meals to families in need during the school holidays. Getty Images
    A waitress serves a meal at a cafe in the Richmond Victorian indoor market. The cafe are offering free meals to families in need during the school holidays. Getty Images
  • Staff at The Watering Can Restaurant and Cafe in Liverpool's Greenbank Park prepare free half-term meal packs for children. Getty Images
    Staff at The Watering Can Restaurant and Cafe in Liverpool's Greenbank Park prepare free half-term meal packs for children. Getty Images
  • Dom Palacio, Head of Community at Richmond Rugby, delivers meals to local school children living in a block of flats on the Ivybridge estate in Twickenham, south west London. AFP
    Dom Palacio, Head of Community at Richmond Rugby, delivers meals to local school children living in a block of flats on the Ivybridge estate in Twickenham, south west London. AFP

Marcus Rashford will be remembered as a great on and off the pitch


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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.

  • 20. Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona has a current transfer value of £91.06m (Dh422.7m) according to CIES. Getty
    20. Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona has a current transfer value of £91.06m (Dh422.7m) according to CIES. Getty
  • 19. Chelsea's Mason Mount has a transfer value of £91.41m. PA
    19. Chelsea's Mason Mount has a transfer value of £91.41m. PA
  • 18. Juventus and Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt, £93.37m. EPA
    18. Juventus and Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt, £93.37m. EPA
  • 17. Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, £93.55m. Getty
    17. Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, £93.55m. Getty
  • 16. Bayern Munich's German midfielder Serge Gnabry, £95.25m. AFP
    16. Bayern Munich's German midfielder Serge Gnabry, £95.25m. AFP
  • 15. Dortmund's Erling Haaland, £95.69m. EPA
    15. Dortmund's Erling Haaland, £95.69m. EPA
  • 14. Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid, £96.23m. EPA
    14. Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid, £96.23m. EPA
  • 13. Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, £100.87m. Getty
    13. Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, £100.87m. Getty
  • 12. Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has a transfer value of £102.56m. Getty
    12. Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has a transfer value of £102.56m. Getty
  • 11. Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, £105.68m. AP
    11. Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, £105.68m. AP
  • 10. Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane has a transfer value of £105.86m. PA
    10. Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane has a transfer value of £105.86m. PA
  • 9. Alphonso Davies has only recently broken into the Bayern Munich first team, and is now valued at £119.06m. PA
    9. Alphonso Davies has only recently broken into the Bayern Munich first team, and is now valued at £119.06m. PA
  • 8. Antoine Griezmann of Barcelona, £121.65m. Getty
    8. Antoine Griezmann of Barcelona, £121.65m. Getty
  • 7. Liverpool star Sadio Mane is worth £124.14, according to CIES. EPA
    7. Liverpool star Sadio Mane is worth £124.14, according to CIES. EPA
  • 6. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is valued at £129.23m. Getty
    6. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is valued at £129.23m. Getty
  • 5. Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford is worth £135.83m. PA
    5. Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford is worth £135.83m. PA
  • 4. Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool is valued at £152.6m. Getty
    4. Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool is valued at £152.6m. Getty
  • 3. Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund is third on the list, valued at £159.73m. AP
    3. Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund is third on the list, valued at £159.73m. AP
  • 2. Manchester City's Raheem Sterling has the second highest transfer value in the big five leagues, at £173.64m. Reuters
    2. Manchester City's Raheem Sterling has the second highest transfer value in the big five leagues, at £173.64m. Reuters
  • 1. Paris Saint-Germain's French striker Kylian Mbappe has a current transfer value of £231.17 million, according to CIES. The 21-year-old has two years left on his contract. EPA
    1. Paris Saint-Germain's French striker Kylian Mbappe has a current transfer value of £231.17 million, according to CIES. The 21-year-old has two years left on his contract. EPA

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)

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