NICOSIA // Fresh from becoming the top goalscorer in Champions League history with a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday, Lionel Messi was targeting victory over Paris Saint-Germain and top spot in Group F.
Read more: Lionel Messi is the ‘greatest player of all time’ says Barcelona coach Luis Enrique
Barcelona need to beat the French champions on December 10 to avoid the danger of meeting the likes of Bayern Munich in the last 16 and Messi preferred to stress the importance of victory at the Camp Nou rather than reflect on another record breaking night just days after also becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in La Liga.
“I am happy to have achieved such a great record in such an important competition, but the really important thing is the three points which we won,” said the 27-year-old.
“We will try to continue as we have played until now and to achieve the objectives that Barcelona need to meet.
“It will be a difficult game. We have already played and lost in Paris. They have very good players and are a team that are getting better all the time. But we are playing at home, we need to play very well and make sure we win the group.”
Messi once again stole the show, but it was also a great evening for Luis Suarez in the Cypriot capital as he netted his first Barcelona goal in his fifth appearance since signing from Liverpool in July.
“For a striker it is always important to score goals and after a number of games, today I took the opportunity,” said Suarez.
“More than anything it is important to help the team, but it is also important as it calms you down.”
The Uruguayan opened the scoring on 27 minutes as he nutmegged his marker on the edge of the box before slotting the ball past the helpless Urko Pardo.
Messi then took over with his second hat-trick in four days after breaking Telmo Zarra’s 59-year-old La Liga record in similar fashion against Sevilla on Saturday.
The four-time World Player of the Year turned home Rafinha’s mishit shot to double Barca’s lead before the break and then latched onto Dani Alves’s through ball to make it 3-0 just before the hour mark.
Both sides were then reduced to 10 men as Rafinha and Joao Guilherme saw second yellow cards before Messi rounded off his historic night with another easy finish from Pedro Rodriguez’s cut-back three minutes from time.
A second victory by a four-goal margin in four days left Barca boss Luis Enrique in a buoyant mood and he claimed Messi’s achievements could rival those of any sportsman in history.
“Messi is the best player of all time and given football is the king of sports he can be compared to anyone. He doesn’t tire of scoring goals and we are proud to have him with us.
“It would be very easy to say that this is the performance I have enjoyed most all season. Playing like this we will be very difficult to beat.
“What I take away from the game is that we put in a marvellous performance. We were much superior to an opponent that before had only lost by one goal.”
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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