Four players scored three goals each in the tournament, but none stood out. Courtesy Al Ittihad
Four players scored three goals each in the tournament, but none stood out. Courtesy Al Ittihad

Saudi footballer Majid Abdullah stood out as regional star potential in 1982



Four players ended the sixth Gulf Cup on three goals: the UAE’s Salem Khalifa, Ibrahim Zuwaid of Bahrain and the Kuwaiti Yousef Suwaid.

The last was Majid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, arguably the greatest striker to emerge from the Gulf region in the 1980s.

Already an established international, Abdullah’s achievements in the following years went on to outstrip those of the other joint-top scorers in Abu Dhabi.

His three goals in the 1982 event, including the solitary goal against Qatar and both scores in a 2-2 draw with Bahrain, merely hinted at what was to come from Abdullah.

He scored 71 official international goals and was named Asian Footballer of the Year three successive times, beginning in 1984.

He also helped his country to the AFC Asian Cup in 1984 and 1988 as Saudi Arabia became the first Gulf country to break the regional dominance of Iraq and Kuwait.

Remarkably, despite their golden era on the continent, Abdullah never once won a Gulf Cup title.

In 1982, Saudi Arabia finished a modest fourth at the Gulf Cup in Abu Dhabi. But the player who would earn the nickname “Arabian Jewel” was just getting started.

Greatness awaited him – and his team.

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THE SPECS

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Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

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  • Have a plan for your savings.
  • Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
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Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

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Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.

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Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.

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The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals

To qualify automatically

UAE must beat Iraq.

Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

 

To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match

UAE must beat Iraq.

Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.