It is becoming commonplace for Chelsea managers to take their leave, but rarely in such glorious fashion. With one clinical swing of his left foot, Frank Lampard delivered a magnificent winner at Wembley to hand Guus Hiddink a perfect farewell.
Having arrived with a remit to spare Chelsea the ignominy of Europa League football, their fourth manager in two seasons departed with silverware in the sunshine and assured of the adulation of the club's supporters.
They mounted a last desperate plea for him to change his mind, but the chorus of "we want him to stay" was in vain.
Hiddink returns to his full-time job today, watching the Russian Cup final in preparation for the summer internationals, but he does so after adding the FA Cup to an extensive CV that already includes the European Cup and four Dutch Cups.
It is not often an interim regime will be remembered with such fondness. While Hiddink went out on a high, it had threatened to be the most anticlimactic of finales.
The 128th FA Cup final witnessed the quickest goal, and it came from Everton.
But Louis Saha put Chelsea in a familiar position.
They had trailed to Southend, Watford and Arsenal in earlier rounds. Comebacks are something of a specialist subject and even a team as doughty as Everton were unable to prevent an equaliser.
Didier Drogba levelled and, when it seemed both teams were intent on extending Hiddink's stay in England for at least another 30 minutes, Lampard collected Nicolas Anelka's pass, turning inside Phil Neville and unleashing an unstoppable strike.
It was a personal landmark, as he reached 20 goals for the fourth successive season, and a strike to savour.
Lampard's excellence is taken for granted, but Chelsea's first goal was an indication of Hiddink's impact. It came from a combination of two players whose Chelsea careers have been revived by the Dutchman. Florent Malouda crossed and Drogba rose unchallenged to head past Tim Howard.
Drogba is Chelsea's resident Wembley specialist.
Having already scored at the national stadium in the 2007 FA Cup final, the 2008 Carling Cup final and the semi-final success against Arsenal, there was a predictability about the identity of the scorer.
It was fitting, too, that Malouda was the creator.
The winger was tormenting Tony Hibbert, who was cautioned as early as the eighth minute, and the left wing already appeared the most profitable avenue for Chelsea.
Although David Moyes acted decisively by removing Hibbert at the interval, Malouda maintained his threat and hit the crossbar with a thunderous shot shortly after Lampard's winner, with television replays indicating that the shot crossed the line.
Indeed, in a second half where Chelsea gradually asserted their superiority, a goal perhaps should have arrived sooner. Anelka, previously the quietest of Chelsea's front trio, made an angled run to meet Lampard's perceptive pass.
The Frenchman's finish was a nonchalant flick that landed on the roof of the net, threatening brilliance without quite delivering.
Another French forward had struck, and in remarkable fashion after just 25 seconds. Saha's nickname among his colleagues is "King Louis", so it is hard to imagine he could be held in much esteem. Nevertheless, this was a regal strike.
When Steven Pienaar crossed the ball from the left, John Obi Mikel met it without clearing the ball. Marouane Fellaini headed it across, Saha struck a sweet half-volley. In the process, he did not just defeat the Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech.
He displaced a former Chelsea player, Roberto di Matteo, from the record books as the swiftest scorer.
Injured to the point of parody, the "man of balsa wood", as some Manchester United fans christened him, has spent much of the season on the sidelines or the bench.
However, yesterday was littered with reminders what a fully fit Saha can do at his lithe, lethal best.
One such came when he met Leighton Baines' cross with a fine header that just cleared the crossbar.
However, with Saha unable to complete the game and Everton's threadbare squad exposed, their 14-year wait for a trophy continues.
Hiddink, in contrast, only required three months to strike silver.
rjolly@thenational.ae
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
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Company%20Profile
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Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
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Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
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Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
