His health has dominated Uruguay’s build-up to the World Cup and became a national obsession after Luis Suarez had surgery on his left knee on May 22.
It should perhaps not come as any surprise, given Diego Lugano, the country’s captain, describes his most renowned teammate as “irreplaceable”.
Click here to visit The National’s World Cup 2014 landing page
Alberto Pan, the Uruguay team doctor, has spent more time in front of the media than many of the players, giving constant updates and vague prognoses.
Everyone wants to know about Suarez. The Liverpool striker has been carefully stepping up his rehabilitation since last week, his presence integral to his side’s chances of success this month.
At times, the frenzy has bordered on desperation. When, at the beginning of this month, Suarez joined Uruguay’s training camp in Montevideo, simply to share lunch with colleagues, a local newspaper carried a photo that appeared to show the forward moving freely. It was two years old.
His fitness continued to be the focus when coach Oscar Tabarez met the media in Fortaleza yesterday, on the eve of Uruguay’s Group D opener with Costa Rica. That much was to be expected; Suarez is a standout, not just for his national team, but in world football.
At Liverpool last season, he finished the English Premier League’s top goalscorer with 31 goals. He was arguably behind only Cristiano Ronaldo as the most influential player in Europe. As Uruguay sought to book their spot in Brazil, Suarez concluded South American qualification at the head of the scoring charts, too, netting 11 times.
So his contribution is key. In warm-up friendlies – both victories – against Northern Ireland and Slovenia, Suarez was understandably missed.
Against Slovenia, as Uruguay struggled to break down their opponents, the 50,000 that packed the Centenario chanted Suarez’s name. Yet the hosts reacted to triumph 2-0. Edinson Cavani and Christian Stuani scored. Diego Forlan, second behind Suarez in Uruguay’s all-time goals list, impressed alongside Cavani.
He may be 35 and playing his club football in Japan, but Forlan will be more than an able deputy against Costa Rica today.
Click here for a downloadable 2014 World Cup wall chart.
Granted, without Suarez, Uruguay can lack aggression and mobility up front – nobody embodies la garra, that fight-to-the-death commitment, more – but Cavani is a physical striker and a supreme finisher. In his debut season with Paris Saint-Germain, he scored 22 goals in 34 starts.
Uruguay will entrust Cavani, Forlan, Stuani and winger Cristian Rodriguez to carry their attack, which will be enough to shoot past Costa Rica.
Suarez may still be introduced at some point, but the toughest tests lie ahead: England on Thursday and Italy five days later. A fully recovered Suarez is essential for both.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Company%20Profile
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JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MADAME%20WEB
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
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Company%20profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
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FIXTURES
New Zealand v France, second Test
Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand
South Africa v Wales
Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
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Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
UAE%20SQUAD
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