The battle of the billionaires takes place this weekend with Manchester City welcoming Chelsea, the league leaders, to Eastlands. Both clubs have spent lavishly since being taken over by their respective owners.
Roman Abramovich, the Russian oil tycoon, acquired the London side in June 2003 and immediately set about investing capital to create a side capable of winning first the Premier League and then the Champions League.
Abu Dhabi's own Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bought City in September 2008 with a similar goal, but starting from a lower position as the club had not won a trophy for 33 years when he took over.
Last weekend, Chelsea fielded a team against Blackpool worth in excess of £145 million (Dh835m); City's side for their match against Wigan Athletic was valued at close to £175m. Five years ago, when the two sides faced off in Manchester, City's first XI was worth just £16.3m - more than 10 times less than today's team.
Since Abramovich's takeover, Chelsea have won three league titles, three FA Cups and two league cups - the club's first league and cup double coming in only the second year of the Russian's tenure.
With City having narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League this season, the pressure is on Roberto Mancini, their manager, to bring success to the blue half of Manchester in Sheikh Mansour's third year at the helm.
City will undoubtedly continue to spend in search of silverware, but Chelsea are now at a stage where wholesale changes are not required. Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, was quiet in the transfer window this summer, purchasing only Yossi Benayoun and Ramires, the Brazilian.
Sheikh Mansour, in contrast, sanctioned signings in excess of £107m in a bid to strengthen. And yet already Chelsea find themselves seven points ahead of the wealthy rivals in the race for the title.
Only Chelsea have conceded fewer goals than City, but perhaps an indication that their massive investment in strengthening at the back as well as up front is paying off .
@Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
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 biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
