It is a rare day, during Real Madrid’s procession towards a probable 34th Liga title, when Sergio Ramos is not on the scoresheet.
But just in case there was any doubt that this most free-scoring of central defenders and domineering of captains was anything less than essential, he intervened decisively again on Monday to ensure his club moved another three points closer to their coronation.
At Granada, Madrid won 2-1, which means they go into the last two fixtures with a four-point lead over Barcelona and with a head-to-head advantage over their chasers that means two draws would now guarantee them the title. A goal-line clearance from Ramos kept them in front at Granada, who had energetically worn away at the 2-0 lead Madrid established by half-time.
“We won the first half, and we lost the second half,” admitted Ramos, “and that is something we should look at.” Thus his stern warning against complacency now that the finish line is in sight and winning – nine victories out of nine since the June restart – almost seems routine.
It is never an extravagant routine. Assuming Madrid, who were behind Barca when football was suspended in March, maintain their position they will be the champions not of swagger but of stealth and resourcefulness.
If that sounds a peculiar description of a squad that includes a trio of attacking players who were each bought for more than €75m (Dh313m), it should be noted that none of that trio – Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez – have greatly shaped the run-in.
It is the back end of the team that has starred. Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper, made another superb save at 2-1 up against Granada, and he will very likely end the campaign as the guardian of the best defensive record in La Liga.
Those immediately in front of him have contributed at the other end, too. Ferland Mendy, the left-back, registered his first Madrid goal at Granada to become the 21st different Real player to have scored in the league this season.
Centre-half Rafa Varane has equalled his best total of goals for a league season, while the versatile understudy Nacho and the right-back Dani Carvajal have scored match-winning goals. Casemiro, the anchor midfielder, has scored as many times as Hazard – who has been injured for long periods – Bale and James combined.
And then there’s Ramos. His sixth goal of the league campaign put Madrid 2-0 up against Eibar on their first fixture back after the pause, on the way to a 3-1 win.
His seventh, from the penalty spot, broke the deadlock in what would be a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad. His eighth would remind that, while he has turned into quite the expert from the penalty spot, his dead-ball talents extend beyond 11 metres. Against Real Mallorca, a Ramos free-kick allowed Madrid to breathe easy, at 2-0 up.
Madrid then won their next three matches 1-0, a Ramos penalty clinching the points against each of Getafe and Athletic Bilbao. A cynic might argue that the pressure on a penalty-taker in a stadium with no supporters is reduced. But it still takes a cool head and a clear mind to keep scoring them when you know the outcome of the league title may very well depend on it.
And if, behind-closed-doors, there were no opposition fans whistling him, Ramos knew sections of the media would turn shriller and shriller about the fact that so many crucial points have gone to Madrid via penalties. Barcelona have complained long and loud about VAR decisions these last few weeks, but none of Madrid's spot-kick awards can really be viewed as dubious.
Being Ramos, he did collect a suspension during the run-in, and so he had to watch Karim Benzema take over penalty-taking duty in the 2-0 win over Alaves.
Only Benzema has outscored the captain for Madrid this term. Ramos is now on double-figures for Liga goals, his 10 a best-ever in this, his 15th season at Real. He needs another four to reach his 100th goal for Madrid, across competitions.
And, since Ramos has also been sent off more than anybody in Spain, there's another notable milestone within reach. Ramos needs to get through 180 more minutes in order to finish the whole Liga campaign without a red card. That has only ever happened once before in his long Madrid career.
Ramos turned 34 in late March, when the Covid-19 crisis was at its most alarming across Spain, and when the likelihood of La Liga being completed looked remote.
“The period of confinement gave us an opportunity to reflect,” he said on Monday, “and to reposition ourselves.” The captain made sure his position would be right in the foreground.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
UAE Tour 2020
Stage 1: The Pointe Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Silicon Oasis, 148km
Stage 2: Hatta - Hatta Dam, 168km
Stage 3: Al Qudra Cycle Track - Jebel Hafeet, 184km
Stage 4: Zabeel Park - Dubai City Walk, 173km
Stage 5: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet, 162km
Stage 6: Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa, 158km
Stage 7: Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 127km
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
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
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
The%20Roundup
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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