When Samuel Eto'o lived in Barcelona, his home, close to seaside, had a trophy room.
Displayed on shelves were a wide variety of baubles, statuettes and souvenirs he had collected, the eye drawn in particular to a large Pharaonic-style bust awarded to him for excellence in African football.
A full audit of the many other prizes he has won would fill several pages, so let's start with the globally recognised awards.
It is still a long list. Last May, Eto'o won the Champions League for the third time, his success with Inter Milan arriving 12 months after the second of his two Champions League triumphs with Barcelona, the 2006 and 2009 finals, in each of which he scored.
Technically, Eto'o has been on the winning side four times in the Champions League: he was a Real Madrid player in 2000 when that club lifted Europe's most important club prize, though he had not established a place in the first-team there. Retrospect tells us that it was Real's mistake, not the player's.
Besides holding the titles of Italian league champion and Coppa Italia winner, there are three Spanish league wins with Barca - plus one with Real, again with a minor part - and a pair of Spanish Cups, including one with Real Mallorca, which he said he values more than any other medal because it was achieved with a club, led valiantly by the young Eto'o in 2003, who had never known such heights before. You can add a fistful of domestic Super Cups.
Not many boxes are unchecked in the long CV of Samuel Eto'o in club football, but the Club World Cup is one.
He was a fringe employee when Real won the Intercontinental Cup in 1998 and no longer a Barcelona player when they triumphed in Abu Dhabi last year. It will feel important to him that he makes amends this time, with Inter.
Important, too, because for all his club achievements, for all that they strengthen the case that Eto'o has been the best centre-forward in the world during the first decade of the 21st century, his international honours are not quite as plentiful.
Eto'o is from Cameroon, where he was born 29 years ago, and though he has captained and led from the front one of the strongest African football nations, his three World Cups have been disappointing, not least the 2010 expedition, which ended with three defeats.
He has been his native continent's Footballer of the Year three times, won the African Cup of Nations twice, but also, more recently, finished as a runner-up twice in that tournament. Victory in the Club World Cup would add a truly global title to the Olympic Gold medal he won with Cameroon in Sydney more than 10 years ago. It was in that year that the world first took note of Eto'o's brilliance, his speed, dexterity and determination.
He had joined Real as a 16-year-old, but their patient approach to his development - they kept sending him out on loan which gave him sparse outings - clashed with his eagerness to fill the big stages.
He was young but bumptious, as exhibited in a story he tells of his first senior international final, the African Nations Cup in Lagos in 2000. Cameroon were underdogs against a strong Nigeria playing at home. The atmosphere at the Surulere stadium, it hardly needs adding, felt intense.
The teams bristled at one another in the tunnel before kick off. Nigeria's muscle-bound defender, Taribo West, the former Inter player, approached the lithe, teenaged Eto'o to intimidate him: "You know me," West said, menacingly. "And today you're going to get to know me even better."
Quick as a flash, Eto'o turned to another Nigeria player, to say: "Tell your friend Taribo, 'Yeah, I've seen him on TV, and today he's going to learn much better what I am about.'" Within 26 minutes Eto'o had opened the scoring, to eerie silence around Surulere. Cameroon would win the game on penalties.
That sort of defiance has been a characteristic. He has had his flashes of anger, like the butt last month on a Chievo player that got him a three-match ban in Serie A.
But Eto'o also has become one of the sport's leading campaigners against racism from crowds in Europe.
His early Madrid experience, when he failed to break into the first-team, left him with an evident hunger to prove himself. He has done that, again and again.
This season, he has been Inter's best, most-effective player, the man whom his colleagues, many of whom have struggled with fitness and form, will look to deliver the last big prize of their glorious year.
sports@thenational.ae
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
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Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
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Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
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
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
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National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
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National selection: Rocket Power
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National selection: EL Faust
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900