Mansoor Al Zaabi, left, and Abdulrahmon Al Zaabi admire Manchester City’s Premier League trophy in Abu Dhabi. City's hard earned silverware will tour schools and businesses today and be on display at CityStore at Marina Mall on Friday and Saturday. Delores Johnson / The National
Mansoor Al Zaabi, left, and Abdulrahmon Al Zaabi admire Manchester City’s Premier League trophy in Abu Dhabi. City's hard earned silverware will tour schools and businesses today and be on display at Show more

Man City's victory lap lands Premier League trophy in Abu Dhabi



The English Premier League trophy has landed in Abu Dhabi as part of Manchester City's victory lap.

The silverware was on display at the Manchester City School of Football at the Officer's Club, accompanied by Mike Summerbee, who was in the City team that won the FA Cup Final in 1969.

Mr Summerbee said he hoped the trophy's visit would inspire future players.

"If they want to be like their heroes, they have to focus on their favourite players and say they want to be like that," he said.

"They can say: 'I want to be the first UAE boy to come out of the UAE and play in the Premier League'. What a great ambition that is. Imagine what that must be like, for a young boy from the UAE to go play in the Premier division."

Mr Summerbee said the UAE was playing the right foundations for future success.

"One year, two or three UAE boys will come out of here and play in the [English] Premiership," he said. "This is what it's all about. It's everyone's ambition to be successful."

Students at the school were allowed to have their photos taken next to the cup, under the watchful eye of its two bodyguards. But no one was allowed to hold it.

"Seeing the trophy makes me want to play more football," said a Scottish City fan, seven-year-old Alex Cowie. Alex watched the nail-biting finish to the season, when his club came back from two goals down against Queens Park Rangers to take the title.

"I thought it was amazing, to come back by scoring two goals in injury time," he said. "A few times I thought it wasn't going to happen."

Seven-year-old Manuel Innocenti, from Italy, said the trophy was an inspiration.

"I thought they were going to lose the final game," Manuel said. "I was sad towards the end but then they scored and it all changed. I want to play for Manchester City."

Simon Hewitt, the head coach at Manchester City School of Football, said membership had increased since City's win.

The trophy will tour schools and businesses today before going on display at the CityStore Abu Dhabi in Marina Mall over the weekend.

Country-size land deals

US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:

Louisiana Purchase

If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.

Florida Purchase Treaty

The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty. 

Alaska purchase

America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of  Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".

The Philippines

At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million. 

US Virgin Islands

It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

Gwadar

The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees. 

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