Kevin De Bruyne, with typical candour, had told a pre-match press conference he was not too familiar with the teenager tipped to line-up against his Manchester City.
At that stage, the tyro was not widely known. This was to be his first start in the Champions League and City were the clear favourites in their last-16 tie with upstart Monaco.
It was early 2017, and Kylian Mbappe had only recently turned 18. He grew up a great deal that night at the Etihad, and it made him famous.
There were eight goals in the 90 minutes, Mbappe scored his first in Europe and it put Monaco 2-1 at half-time. Final score: 5-3 to City. By the end of the second leg, Mbappe had his second Champions League goal and City had been eliminated, on an aggregate score that read more like it should belong at the Monte Carlo Open, 6-6, with Monaco through on the tie-breaker of away goals.
Mbappe was picked for the senior France squad for the first time immediately after that breakthrough tie against City. He propelled Monaco to the French league title and, that summer, became the most expensive teen in the history of sport when Paris Saint-Germain signed him, on a binding loan deal, initially, to ease the budgetary impact of buying Neymar in the same transfer window.
On Tuesday, 22-year-old Mbappe will be back at the Etihad, and, once again, there is an element of gamble in whether or not to include him in the starting XI. He has been troubled by a calf problem since PSG's 2-1 defeat to City in the first leg of the semi-final that will be concluded in Manchester. He missed Saturday's 2-1 victory over Lens.
It might be reported, too, that Mbappe has recently suffered a Ruben Dias and a Kyle Walker problem.
It is a rare feat for any defence to shackle the explosive, in-form Frenchman, and among the startling statistics from City’s comeback from a goal down in Paris last Wednesday was the number of Mbappe shots on target: PSG’s leading goalscorer for the season – 37 across competitions – registered none, Dias his expert guard much of the time, Walker his equal in the sprint.
Defend that effectively on Tuesday and City will be on their way to a first Champions League final, while PSG, who reached their debut final in the competition last August, would anticipate some serious turbulence when they arrive home.
Gallery: PSG 2 Lens 1
In December they sacked Thomas Tuchel, who could tomorrow guide Chelsea into the final, and replaced him with Mauricio Pochettino, who will be judged very squarely on what happens Tuesday evening and over the next two weeks.
After the City game, Pochettino, Neymar, Mbappe and the rest of mainland Europe’s most expensively assembled squad will have three league fixtures to try to erode the stubborn one point lead Lille hold over them in France’s top division.
Lille's victory at the Parc des Princes last month meant they leapfrogged the serial champions – PSG have won seven of the last eight French championships – and they still cling to that advantage. With nine points to play for, the title is not in PSG's hands.
The defence of the French Cup is, and PSG will meet Montpellier in the semi-final in a week’s time. But if Pochettino ends up with just one major trophy – or less – by the end of May, the first sixth months of the year-and-a-half contract he signed in January will be deemed an unsatisfactory probation.
It is not likely to cost him the job, but it may bring with it a vexing summer, one where transfer targets are harder to persuade that PSG are likely Champions League winners in the near future, and where Mbappe’s own commitment is clouded.
The player has spoken openly about a desire to play for a club outside France at some stage in his career. His PSG contract expires in 2022.
Pochettino has backed himself to stimulate Mbappe’s loyalty to PSG, though his immediate concern is the limp his star striker was walking with as he boarded the squad’s flight to England yesterday. “We will assess him,” said Pochettino of Mbappe’s readiness to start against City.
Pochettino praised his team’s “character and resilience,” and said that, in the first leg, he had seen “perhaps the best 45 minutes PSG have played since I came in, but in the second half, we weren’t able to keep the same intensity and level.”
Pochettino has every reason to believe in a strong, compelling away leg. In the previous rounds, PSG scored four times at Barcelona, and three times at Bayern. The catch is that five of those seven goals were Mbappe's.
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
England ODI squad
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Persuasion
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 0
Wolves 2 (Traore 80', 90 4')
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
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