Fifa’s hierarchy and Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s president, ran him close, but Brazilian-turned-Spanish striker Diego Costa can take away one prize at the World Cup – the most-booed man in Brazil.
A cacophony of boos and whistles greeted Costa’s every touch in his two games, which brought a 5-1 thumping at Dutch hands and a 2-0 loss to Chile as Spain made the quickest exit from contention by a defending champion.
Click here to visit The National’s World Cup 2014 landing page
It was scant consolation that Costa did not have that many touches – just 50, according to the statisticians – and five shots on goal, none on target.
Social media was quick to mock.
Under the line “Diego’s Costa’s best goals at the World Cup”, contributor FutballTweets posted a mocked up YouTube image bearing the caption: “This video does not exist.”
The Atletico Madrid star could have been battling Luiz Felipe Scolari favourite Fred for the chance to lead the line for Brazil, but he elected to take Spanish nationality and dump dreams of stardom for the country of his birth.
For Spain, he sank without trace as “tiki-taka” and his own bustling style proved incompatible, Chile and their three central defenders barring his route to goal.
The jeers rained down louder than ever as coach Vicente Del Bosque sent on Fernando Torres and hauled off Costa, who grew up in the north-eastern town of Lagarto and began his career in Portugal with Braga.
Both are set to compete for the main striker’s role at Chelsea next season as he declared after the Chile disaster that “my future is more over there than at Atletico”, with whom he won the Spanish league.
Reports in the English media on Monday said he had already completed a medical with a view to a €40-million (Dh199.6m) move.
Costa appeared in two friendlies for Brazil last year before pledging allegiance to Spain, prompting a bemused Scolari to state: “He is turning his back on a dream of millions, to represent our national team, the five-time champions in a World Cup in Brazil.”
After seeing his dreams of glory with Spain in his homeland turn to dust, Costa said: “It’s been a good year in many respects but a tough one in others.”
Despite his World Cup travails Costa appears to have a big fan in the Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho, who complained about a lack of strikers at Stamford Bridge last season despite having €60m man Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o in his ranks.
The Spanish sports daily Marca earlier this week quoted Mourinho as saying that “Costa is a footballer I want in my team.”
Under Mourinho, the fact that, as Brazilian media suggested on Thursday, “Spanish tiki-taka and Costa are incompatible”, will not be an issue.
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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
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
