Ever since he made his debut at Leicester City in 1994, there has been debate about Emile Heskey's merits as a striker and how he can be considered a regular England international when his goal tally falls way below his rivals.
The subject will continue to be discussed before, and probably after, Fabio Capello names his squad for the World Cup finals.
No doubt differing views will be aired tonight too when Heskey's Aston Villa side face Sunderland in the Premier League.
In the Sunderland ranks at Villa Park will be Darren Bent, who has not figured for his country since the friendly in Doha against Brazil in November when he toiled for 55 minutes without reward.
Yet with 20 Premier League goals for a side that has struggled, it is a feat to be admired, especially in comparison to Heskey's return of three.
While some Villa fans have even branded Heskey a liability, the fact that Bent has scored in seven of the eight league games Sunderland have won shows how important he is to them. His achievements have made him the club's most prolific frontman since Kevin Phillips claimed 30 goals in 2000 and earned a place in England's Euro 2000 squad.
Nicky Summerbee played alongside Phillips in that Sunderland side and said Bent can go on to achieve the same legendary status on Wearside.
"Kevin was a fantastic finisher. He picked up on anything in and around the box," said the former winger. "But Darren has that same instinct and quality. There's no reason why he can't match Kevin for goals and the fans will appreciate him in the same way."
While goals often give a striker cult status, so too do grit and determination, the qualities that have made Heskey popular.
He offers presence in the box rather than predatory instincts. His unselfish play may go unnoticed, but with Gabriel Agbonlahor struggling with a foot injury, Heskey needs to help out with goals if Villa are to stay in the top-four reckoning.
@Email:akhan@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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