JOHANNESBURG // On this day last year Luis Fabiano, the Brazil forward, was travelling home from South Africa with a Golden Boot award having scored five goals in as many games to help his country lift the Confederations Cup.
The performances saw the Sao Paulo-born striker subjected to speculation linking him to a multi-million euro transfer away from Sevilla, the domestic side who had in 2005 shown belief in him following an unsuccessful season at FC Porto.
Initially Luis Fabiano chose to stay quiet, but eventually he spoke out, saying: "AC Milan are one the biggest clubs in the world [and] I realise that at the age of 28, there will be few other chances like this for me."
The move never materialised and instead the Italian giants completed the signing of Klaas-Jan Hunterlaar, from Real Madrid, who Luis Fabiano will tomorrow come face to face with when Brazil meet Holland in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Hunterlaar has experienced a testing time to date in Italy and the rumour mill is already swirling regarding a potential transfer merry-go-round.
Luis Fabiano has been in fine form so far this summer, scoring three times, including a vital, albeit controversial, brace against Ivory Coast, and Adriano Galliani, the Milan vice-president, is ready to return to the negotiation table in a bid to capture last year's target.
"He is the player who has excited me most at this World Cup," said the Italian.
For the national side, Luis Fabiano is flourishing in front of Kaka, the playmaker who he played alongside while at Sao Paulo. Two of the forward's three goals have stemmed from assists from the midfielder and the striker yesterday hailed the special understanding the two share.
"We have a perfect connection," Luis Fabiano said. "We understand each other. I just have to get in position and I know he will get the ball to me."
Kaka added: "We have a very good connection, especially because of the time we played together for Sao Paulo. One look is enough to know what we are going to do. I hope to give him many more assists in the rest of the World Cup and that he ends up as the top scorer."
Leading the charge for the Golden Boot this summer is Gonzalo Higuain of Argentina, and David Villa, the Spain forward, who both have four goals. But Luis Fabiano, who had scored just once in his previous nine games before Brazil's World Cup opener against North Korea, has been adamant since the beginning of the tournament that team success is more important than personal plaudits.
"I'm trying to help Brazil win the title, that's what I want," the striker said. "If, in the end, I'm also the top scorer - bonus."
History certainly favours Luis Fabiano. While Spain have never boasted a Golden Boot winner and Argentina's last recipient was Mario Kempes in 1978, Brazil has been home to the tournament's top scorer on five separate occasions, most recently in 2002 when Ronaldo netted eight times.
This is no typical Brazil side, however, and Luis Fabiano will need to be at his industrious and clinical best if he is to have a chance of leaving South Africa with a similar award to that which he left with last summer.
The insistence of Dunga, the Brazil coach, on two defensive midfielders means much of the supply comes from either Kaka, in an advanced central midfield role, or the full-backs, Maicon and Michel Bastos.
However, unlike in qualifying, when the manager deployed Luis Fabiano as a lone striker, Dunga has this month preferred to pair him with Robinho, the quick and creative Manchester City forward. Robinho's willingness to drift out to the flanks allows Luis Fabiano space in the centre and with Kaka sitting slightly behind the front-line, the two have time in which to capitalise on their "perfect understanding".
Holland have only conceded twice so far this summer - both times from the penalty spot - but Luis Fabiano's prolific record for the national team has seen him score 28 times in 42 matches.
He will be confident, given the chance, that his ruthless efficiency in front of goal will enable him to fire his side through to the final four, while doing no harm to his chances of a transfer to the San Siro.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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%20specs
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sweet%20Tooth
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
How%20champions%20are%20made
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
More on Quran memorisation:
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Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')