MADRID // Karim Benzema has passed his medical with Real Madrid as he prepares to complete his move from Lyon.
Benzema, who landed in Madrid yesterday morning, successfully completed his medical at the Hospital Sanitas La Moraleja ahead of his presentation at the Bernabeu this evening, the Primera Division.
Real Madrid's medical chief Carlos Diez said: "The player is in peak condition to play sport at the highest level. He has arrived in very good shape after the summer."
The 21-year-old France international will cost Madrid an initial ?35million (Dh179m), rising to ?41m dependent on performances, and will be the fourth new arrival to be unveiled by the Spanish giants since Florentino Perez returned to the presidency at the start of June.
Kaka was the first to be presented last Tuesday following his move from AC Milan, then came former Valencia defender Raul Albiol last Thursday, before world-record signing Cristiano Ronaldo took centre stage on Monday evening in front of an estimated 90,000 fans at the Bernabeu.
With just those four signings Madrid are close to topping £200million (Dh1.9billion) in spending this summer, and more big-name arrivals are believed to be in the pipeline as Perez fulfils his election promise of a "spectacular sporting project".
Benzema, who has agreed a six-year contract with Madrid, established himself as one of the hottest properties in Europe in the 2007-08 season with 31 goals in 51 games. The last campaign was less impressive for club and player, as Lyon ended the season without the Ligue 1 title for the first time in eight years, but Benzema scored 23 goals in all competitions, scoring on average a goal every other game.
* PA Sport
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
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Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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Rating: ****
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