As Marcelo Oliveira Silva "Marcelinho" steps out of the clubhouse and walks towards his car in the car park, a loud cheer erupts and the waiting Sharjah fans swarm to him.
The cheerleaders start beating on their drums as the Brazilian striker gets a warm handshake from virtually everyone and hugs from many. He poses for photographs and signs a few autographs.
The mood of celebration is very different to the atmosphere that had enveloped the Sharjah stadium around 45 minutes earlier. The home side were drubbed 3-0 by Al Shabab and the anger from the stands was very evident after the final whistle.
The appearance of Marcelinho had changed the mood. Every other Sharjah player who had passed that way before him was given a cold snub.
"Sorry, we did not have a good match," Marcelinho, 26, told the fans.
"No problem, you did good," came the reply, as a supporter put a medal around Marcelinho's neck. The conversations continued for the next 10 minutes before the striker excused himself. The handshakes and hugs followed again.
"I am very happy here because I think I am doing well for the club," Marcelinho said a few minutes later, his sombre mood after the defeat being lifted by the adoring fans.
"All this support that I get makes me want to give my best every time I step on the pitch. I want these fans to be happy and score goals for them. They support me so much and I want to repay them."
Marcelinho has repaid a fair bit of his debt to the fans since arriving at Sharjah before the start of last season from the Portuguese club Naval 1° de Maio. He had earlier played in the Danish league with AaB Fodbold and Avai Futebol Clube of Brazil.
He admits knowing little about this part of the world or football in the UAE when Sharjah came looking for him. The presence of Manuel Cajuda, the respected Portuguese coach at the club, helped in making his decision.
The number of Brazilians plying their trade here also influenced his decision, but the clincher was Sharjah's presentation.
"I came here because Sharjah offered a really good deal and they had a good plan for the team," he said. "I was excited about becoming a part of this plan. I have enjoyed every moment of my stay here and I have no complaints or regrets."
Marcelinho did not need much time to settle into his new surroundings and he got his name on the goalscorer's list in his first official game for the club. Sharjah lost that match 3-2 at Emirates, but a flurry of goals from the Brazilian through the season and his dynamic partnership with Mustafa Kareem up front kept raising the stock of the club.
Marcelinho eventually finished with 15 goals in the league, which was the fourth highest tally behind Jose Sand (24), Fernando Baiano (18) and Carlos Tenorio (18). Sharjah finished the season in sixth place.
He is off to an impressive start again this season with five goals - the same as Sand and Baiano, and three less than Andre Senghor, the league's top scorer.
Marcelinho is hoping to overtake the Baniyas striker in the standings and help Sharjah achieve their target of a top-four finish.
"This season I want to score even more goals," he said. "This is my job. If I can keep scoring, it will help the club. So I want to do that and hopefully finish as the top scorer of the league."
While Sharjah lost their game against Al Shabab last Sunday Marcelinho said: "We had a poor result in this match, but I can promise you we will come back a lot stronger in the next game [against Al Wahda tonight]. We did not make a good game, but you will see a much better team for the next match."
Marcelinho is expecting the team to work hard as they prepare for Wahda and improve their fluency in the field as the season progresses.
"We have a good coach and good players," he said. "But I believe we still have a lot of work to do - we need to give better passes, run more and fight harder. If we can do that, I believe we have a team to challenge the top sides."
Away from the football, Marcelinho is enjoying his time in the country. He is friends with many of the Brazilian players and hopes to get an extension at Sharjah once his initial two-year contract expires in May.
"We have lots of players from Brazil here and it is really good to see that," he said.
"With so many players from Brazil here, it really helps in settling down when you come here new. It is also good for the football in the country because it makes the league stronger.
"I go out with them. I am friends will all of them. Gustavo, Robinho, Carlos Tenorio [of Al Nasr] - they are all my friends because we speak the same language. It is easy. But no clubbing or [partying] for me - I spend my nights at home.
"I am having a good time here and would love to continue with Sharjah. All the people here like me. If I continue to perform and if the club still see me as part of their plans, I would love to continue for another two years here."
arizvi@thenational.ae
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENomad%20Homes%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHelen%20Chen%2C%20Damien%20Drap%2C%20and%20Dan%20Piehler%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20and%20Europe%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2444m%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Acrew%20Capital%2C%2001%20Advisors%2C%20HighSage%20Ventures%2C%20Abstract%20Ventures%2C%20Partech%2C%20Precursor%20Ventures%2C%20Potluck%20Ventures%2C%20Knollwood%20and%20several%20undisclosed%20hedge%20funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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
