Back in 2009, Manuel Pellegrini’s unveiling as Real Madrid manager was fairly low-key, at least measured by the standards of the man who followed him as manager at Spain’s most decorated club, Jose Mourinho.
Pellegrini can anticipate that Pep Guardiola, his successor at Manchester City, will hear a louder fanfare than Pellegrini had, when Guardiola takes over there.
That is Pellegrini’s way: understated, low key, at least in his public persona.
When he joined Madrid nearly seven years ago, there was not much space for another gala introduction.
The same close-season witnessed several noisy cavalcades roaring into the Bernabeu stadium.
Fans crowded into the grandstands as if for a big cup match simply to see Cristiano Ronaldo put on a podium, wearing an all-white strip for the first time, and perform some keepy-uppies. Ronaldo was presented to madridistas as the most expensive footballer in history, signed from Manchester United.
One of Pellegrini’s tasks during his single season at Madrid, the club his City take on tonight in the semi-finals of the Uefa Champions League, was to make Ronaldo feel at home and have him start paying back Madrid’s enormous investment, a fee of over €80 million (nearly Dh331m).
The Chilean manager had been asked to take over at a club in major transition.
Presidential elections had recently returned Florentino Perez to the main seat in the boardroom, for Perez’s second term in charge.
Rivals Barcelona had just won a treble.
A hero, Raul, was the club captain but well into his thirties.
Ronaldo was the new star, so was Kaka, another summer arrival.
Raul’s days were numbered.
• Read more: Five reasons why Real Madrid will win the Uefa Champions League
• Read more: Five reasons why Manchester City will win the Uefa Champions League
• Read more: Joe Hart says Manchester City have to 'believe we can win' against Real Madrid in Champions League
Some of the numbers Pellegrini’s Madrid then generated were spectacular. Raul, then the club’s greatest all-time goalscorer, may have been an irregular player in his last season at Madrid, often used from the bench, but Madrid had no shortage of goals.
They scored more than 100 times in their 38 Primera Liga matches, a new landmark. Ronaldo contributed 26 of those.
Karim Benzema, who like Ronaldo has fitness problems that could limit his participation in tonight’s first leg in Manchester, was also new to Madrid at the outset of 2009/10.
Perez had pushed hard for the recruitment of the French striker, held him in high regard and would have liked the new manager to coax more consistency from Benzema.
The player was only 21 when he joined, and his inconsistency at centre-forward betrayed an immaturity.
Competition for places in the forward line posed Pellegrini dilemmas.
There was Raul, a veteran but still an instinctive finisher with a never-say-die spirit.
There was Ronaldo.
There was Gonzalo Higuain, who outscored all of them.
Benzema remained a work in progress even when Mourinho succeeded Pellegrini.
The South American manager lasted only a year. Some at the club advised the president to stick with him.
Madrid accumulated the sort of points total that in most seasons would have won the league. But they were short of the standards set by Barcelona, then Guardiola’s Barcelona.
And in the knockout competitions, they flopped, beaten early and humiliatingly by third-tier Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey, eliminated at the last-16 stage by Lyon in the Champions League.
If the Pellegrini period at Madrid was not a glorious one, nor is it remembered as gloomy.
Hindsight permits him a pat on the back for the development of Marcelo during the 2009/10 season.
He saw the Brazilian left-back’s outstanding potential as an attacking player and used him midfield frequently to permit him to exploit that. Marcelo thrived, and has established himself as a key Madrid player since.
Pepe, the pugnacious central defender, regained respect under Pellegrini, after serving a long suspension for violent conduct the previous season.
Sergio Ramos, now Pepe’s partner, shifted across positions in defence during the Pellegrini season, and had the opportunity to show his strengths as a right-back, the position that gave him a place in the Spain national team.
He won the World Cup playing at full-back in July.
Pellegrini had by then been told to look for a new job.
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The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
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)
MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
Jawan
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Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Racecard:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy | Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Balanchine | Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
British Grand Prix free practice times in the third and final session at Silverstone on Saturday (top five):
1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.063 (18 laps)
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:28.095 (14)
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:28.137 (20)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:28.732 (15)
5. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:29.480 (14)
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Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)