On this day four years ago, Serge Gnabry was packing a medal in his case, and setting off for home. It had been an exhilarating three weeks in Brazil, but his feelings were bittersweet. The medal was silver, and although he had one prize for first place – top goalscorer in the men’s Olympic tournament – the finishing second, with Germany, left him with many what-might-have-been thoughts. Germany had lost the final, to Brazil, on penalties.
So he headed for home as a partial hero, and a puzzled one if you were to have asked him what ‘home’ meant. Over the previous 12 months it had been, variously, London, the English midlands, and his native Germany. He also feels an attachment to Ivory Coast, where his supportive father was born. As for belonging, the Germany Olympic under-23 team, a transient entity by its very nature, seemed more of an anchor than his clubs had lately been.
Back in the summer of 2016, Gnabry was 21. And though he was top marksman in Brazil, he was nearly invisible at West Bromwich Albion, where he had started the season that finished with the Olympics. Just before the Games he been formally let go by Arsenal, his employers since he was 16, and was about to join Werder Bremen, to make an entirely new home.
Four years on, Gnabry, ex of Arsenal, West Brom, Bremen, Hoffenheim and the German Olympic, under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 sides is about compete for the greatest prize in club football.
He is now a certain starter, from a loosely defined position wide on the right, for the most in-form team in Europe, Bayern Munich, in Sunday's Champions League final. Munich is very much Gnabry’s settled home now, and it would take a very substantial amount of money in transfer fees to prise him away.
How much? Well, let’s start at a bare minimum of 10 times the €6 million (Dh26m) fee Bremen paid Arsenal, in the summer of 2016, when he collected his Olympic silver and his Golden Boot from the Rio Games.
Back then Arsenal were still proud that the teenaged Gnabry was one of the many young talents spotted and brought to North London under the long reign of Arsene Wenger as manager. He had been scouted and brought from Stuttgart at 16. Ninety-eight days after his 17th birthday he became Arsenal’s second-youngest debutant in a league fixture.
Keen to progress, Gnabry, who would instinctively describe himself as a winger, soon saw the competition for places was keen. Earlier this season, reflecting on his Arsenal education to English reporters, Gnabry reeled off the list of more senior men who formed the queue ahead of him as he reached his 20s: “Arsenal had so many wingers at the time – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil. So I had to go. Sadly.”
He moved on from Arsenal after 18 first-team appearances – nine starts – in search of minutes on the pitch. To Wenger’s approval, and Gnabry’s, he was offered a potential breakthrough year in the Premier League. West Brom took him on loan.
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Lyon v Bayern Munich player ratings
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It was a very bad move. Six months in, Gnabry seemed further back in a queue led by James McClean, Stephane Sessegnon and Callum McManaman than he had been in the Cazorla-Ozil-Alexis hierarchy.
The West Brom manager of the time, Tony Pulis, played Gnabry three times in six months in the 2015/16 season. Two of those were in the League Cup; In Premier League, he got 12 minutes as a substitute. Arsenal recalled him in the January, and sold their Olympic star to Bremen the following summer.
From there, things really took off. His maiden Bundesliga season with Bremen yielded 11 goals, and a bid from Bayern. He had a successful loan season at Hoffenheim. Bayern had seen him mature exactly as they wished. Since he turned 25 last summer, Gnabry has become ever more essential to Bayern, a regular in the German national team and a Champions League record-breaker: He scored four away goals in a single night at Tottenham Hotspur in the group phase. He put two past Chelsea in the 3-0 away win in the last-16. Evidently, he likes going back to London.
He likes leadership, too. In Wednesday’s semi-final against Lyon, no Bayern player responded with greater authority to an alarming opening quarter-hour, when Lyon were brisk and menacing, than Gnabry. Cutting in from the right, he dared a parade of Lyon defenders to steal the ball from him, before unleashing a rocket from his left foot. 1-0. Once he poached his second goal 12 minutes before half time, Bayern were all but certain of their place in the final.
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
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
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore