Jorge Mendes has accomplished much during his startling rise from nightclub DJ to the most powerful agent in world football.
On Saturday, he achieved something improbable, even for him: he inspired sympathy for Louis van Gaal. While the Dutchman was celebrating his first and last trophy as Manchester United manager, news emerged from the Mendes camp that his client Jose Mourinho was set to replace him at Old Trafford.
The timing showed a lack of class. Van Gaal deserved better. Not to keep his job because, despite winning the FA Cup, United were compelled to dismiss him, but at least to have a little time to enjoy the experience before it became obvious he was being ushered into retirement.
The manner of it illustrated the reservations some at Old Trafford harboured about Mourinho. He is not a perfect fit for United, with their history of attacking football and fondness for promoting young talent, but they had boxed themselves into a corner where they only had three options: the Portuguese, the untried Ryan Giggs, and the underachieving Van Gaal.
And United could not afford to approach a Premier League season that will feature Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp, Arsene Wenger, Mauricio Pochettino and the defending champion Claudio Ranieri with Van Gaal at the helm.
More from Manchester United:
Poll: Will Jose Mourinho be a good appointment for Manchester United?
Podcast: The pros and cons of Jose Mourinho arriving as Manchester United manager
Andy Mitten on Louis van Gaal: If it is indeed the end for Louis van Gaal — and Ryan Giggs — it was a good one
Richard Jolly on the FA Cup final: Man United win FA Cup, as Lingard rewards van Gaal's most redemptive tactic
Van Gaal, 64, goes with a trophy, to mean he has won silverware in each of the four countries where he has managed, but the more telling statistics relate to the league. Van Gaal inherited a side that secured 64 points and left one that mustered 66: two years, only two points more and £285 million (Dh1.52 billion) spent.
He failed to grasp the scale of the opportunity he was afforded. Even after Tuesday's 3-1 win over Bournemouth, he complained supporters' expectations were too high. Some of those same fans booed him then, some when United won the FA Cup. There may have been uproar had he remained in charge.
Van Gaal, with the budget of a small nation, constructed the most boring United team for decades. Their tally of 49 league goals was absurdly low and indicative of an alien style of play, so laboured, so strange, so counter-productive that it was baffling.
His final game provided a microcosm of his reign, with a slow start, some direct football, a pivotal part for Marouane Fellaini, a whole host of players deployed out of position, a propensity to muddle through and a hint of redemption in the promise of youth, illustrated at Wembley by the FA Cup final match-winner Jesse Lingard.
He, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial represent the best part of Van Gaal’s legacy as well as a test for Mourinho, who rarely puts his faith in embryonic attackers. They, plus Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, may yet mean Van Gaal’s reign is remembered more fondly in future years.
But while the younger generation offered optimism, Van Gaal’s failure came with more established individuals. He constructed a side that was much less than the sum of its expensive parts. He drew less from many of his charges than their previous managers or, in the case of some who left, their current managers. Mistakes were made with the players who left — Angel Di Maria and Javier Hernandez in particular — and with those who arrived. Mere mentions of Van Gaal’s signings — Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Memphis Depay, Victor Valdes, Di Maria — serve as a shorthand for a regime’s flaws.
Van Gaal alienated players recklessly and managed them poorly. Mourinho’s initial tasks will include restoring many to the footballers they were before they encountered the Dutchman.
From a low base, Van Gaal took United forward, to fourth place, in his first season. But even that was no great feat, given the budget and given United’s enduring reliance on David De Gea’s brilliance, and they regressed again this year. Winning the FA Cup should not camouflage that. And, clearly, it did not, in the eyes of the employers who dispensed with him.
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
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Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham (Alli 61'), Davies (70')
Red card Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 2,400m | Winner: Brass Ring, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
RESULTS
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Thabet Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Blue Diamond, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Shoja’A Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Heros De Lagarde, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Match info:
Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')
Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”