Discussions on the world’s best footballer provoke division into two camps — the fans of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was not always the case
At his peak Zinedine Zidane was the undisputed holder of the title and on Friday night, a lucky group of spectators got a chance to see his talent in the flesh.
Even with the French World Cup winning legend now at age 43, it was pretty spectacular.
He led a “Friends of Zidane” team against a “Friends of NAS” side made up of current and former UAE internationals.
The crowd of 700 roared as the guest of honour was introduced in front of the watching Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, patron of the 2015 NAS Tournament.
It was not only the fans who were star struck.
GALLERY: Zinedine Zidane, Edgar Davids and Omar Abdulrahman put on a show at 2015 NAS Tournament
“The atmosphere was amazing,” Omar Abdulrahman said. “Playing in this exhibition match allowed us to meet players with massive histories in international football, players we used to watch on television.
“NAS Tournament has given us the opportunity to play against the likes of my favourite player of all time Zidane, as well as his two sons and (Michel) Salgado.”
Spanish defender Salgado and Juventus legend Edgar Davids may have also been present, but all eyes were on Zidane. Or, as it turned out, on the Zidanes.
Luca and Enzo, both part of Real Madrid’s youth system where their father is reserve team coach, could go far if this evidence is anything to go by.
Luca, 17 years old and a goalkeeper, took to the middle of the arena like a seasoned outfield professional.
He scored the opening goal of the match after four minutes from a pass from his father. Minutes later he returned the compliment but the man who had scored 31 goals for France in a peerless career, hit the side netting.
“Zizou” did get his name on the score sheet just before half time with a typical run and finish, to the delight of the crowd — they can say we have seen Zidane score live.
On the other side, Abdulrahman stood out with some sublime tricks in the presence of his hero, though the likes of Habib Al Fardan and Ali Mabkhout had less spectacular outings.
If the first half was about Zinedine and Lucas, the second was about Enzo. All close control, Zidane pirouettes and effortless flicks, it was like going back in time to watch what his father was like at that age.
At one point the 20-year-old midfielder plucked a high ball out of the air with one sensational touch and the crowd lapped it up.
One UAE player clearly enjoying the event was former national team captain Ismail Matar, grateful to be renewing acquaintance with the evening star turn.
“We thank Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed for giving us the chance to play against these stars,” he said. “It’s not the first time that I’ve played against Zidane, I did once before in a friendly in 2007 after he retired.”
With minutes left of the match, UAE international Khamis Ismail brought one of the biggest cheers of the night when he took a selfie with Zidane as he was being substituted.
“The truth is everybody wanted to get a picture with Zidane because he’s so many Emirati players’ favourite star,” Matar said. “In the end it was a wonderful occasion and we are happy to hold such events in the UAE.”
The match finished 2-0 as the crowd chanted “Zizou, Zizou”. Everyone eventually got their photos taken with Zidane, but only one, Abdulrahman, got the prized No 5 shirt.
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Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
