Former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres completed his return to boyhood club Atletico Madrid after his new owners AC Milan agreed a loan deal with the Spanish champions on Monday.
Torres agreed a permanent transfer with the San Siro club from Chelsea on December 27 but was swiftly loaned back to the club where he built his reputation on a deal set to run until the end of the 2015/16 season.
Read more: The National’s Transfer Talk page
The Madrid giants, who lost last year’s Champions League final against arch rivals Real Madrid, confirmed the 30-year-old’s return to the Vicente Calderon on their website.
“Fernando Torres returns to Atletico Madrid after an agreement reached by our club with Milan for the international striker to play on loan for the remainder of the season and one more,” read an official club statement.
“The player will have a medical on January 5. He returns home, where he trained as a player and became one of our biggest stars.”
Torres shot to stardom at his childhood club when he was made captain at just 17 in 2001 and went on to score 91 goals in 244 appearances for Atletico.
“I was not a Liverpool fan or a Chelsea fan in Madrid,” he once said. “I was an Atletico fan. I still am. Maybe they’re the only badge I will kiss.”
After his rise in Madrid, he was then snapped up by Premier League club Liverpool where he spent four successful seasons before a high profile £50 million (Dh285.5m) transfer to Chelsea where he struggled badly to reach his previous heights.
Torres scored some memorable goals for the Stamford Bridge outfit, notably in the 2012 Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona and the 2013 Europa League final when Chelsea edged Benfica 2-1 in the final minute.
He also won the FA Cup as well as the Champions League but came in for constant scrutiny over his scoring rate of 45 total goals, 20 in the Premier League, in 172 matches.
The Spanish international, who also won the 2010 World Cup and 2008 and 2012 European championships, also found his place in the national team called into question.
He has scored just one goal for AC Milan this season.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
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Torque: 850Nm
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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