LONDON // Real Madrid's Gareth Bale claimed he doesn't care about losing the tag of the world's most expensive player to Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.
Bale’s three-year reign as the most costly player in the world ended when France international Pogba joined United from Juventus for £89 million (Dh433m) last month.
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That fee surpassed the £85.3 million Real Madrid paid Tottenham Hotspur to sign Wales forward Bale in 2013.
But Bale has no problem with letting Pogba hold the record tag.
“I’m not fussed and I couldn’t care less,” he said on Thursday. “None of the players have pulled my leg on it.”
Bale was speaking at a Uefa Champions League gala dinner to launch the “Road to Cardiff”, with the 2017 final being held in his home city at the Millennium Stadium.
The 27-year-old forward would become only the sixth player to win the European Cup or Champions League in his home city should Madrid successfully defend the trophy they won for a record extending 11th time in May.
The previous five players to do so are Enrique Mateos (in Madrid with Real Madrid, 1957), Miguel Munoz (in Madrid with Real Madrid, 1957), Alex Stepney (in London with Manchester United, 1968), Angelo di Livio (in Rome with Juventus, 1996) and Nicolas Anelka (in Paris with Real Madrid, 2000).
“We know the final is in Cardiff and it would be amazing to get there,” Bale added.
“I haven’t been asked yet but the players have had experience of Wales and the weather from the Super Cup. I am sure if we get closer they will be asking.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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