If Xabi Alonso does have any lingering thoughts of what might have been, he has a funny way of showing it.
As the new European football season chugs into gear, one of the most sought-after properties in management continues to happily ply his trade far from the hoopla of the sport’s noisiest clubs.
Not that the Bayer Leverkusen of Alonso can exactly ease anywhere under the radar any more. They are, after all, defending a record-breaking unbeaten run.
On Saturday night they won the German Super Cup for the first time when they beat Stuttgart, last season’s Bundesliga runners up, on penalties after a pulsating game at a rowdy BayArena.
It was the third trophy Alonso has delivered in 13 months, which amounts to more than half of all the trophies the club have won in their history. It was the 52nd match in a row in which German opposition have failed to beat them, a run stretching back to May 2023.
They won the Bundesliga by 17 points last season, went on to win the domestic double, and were only denied a treble at the last by Atalanta in the Europa League final.
Yet even with all those gongs, Leverkusen manage to avoid the noise that follows Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund around, let alone the sides from Europe’s other major leagues. Keeping hold of their 42-year-old head coach when the vultures have been circling means Leverkusen could be a match for any of Europe’s finest this season.
Alonso was clearly in his element as his side started out their attempt to reprise one of football’s most remarkable campaigns. He was happy to be back at the coalface.
His trademark calm even lapsed briefly as his side threatened to lose their poise against a Stuttgart side with whom they drew twice last season.
New signing Martin Terrier was shown a straight red for a dangerous tackle, 37 minutes into his Leverkusen debut. Stuttgart dominated possession and hit the post three times. Amid it all, Alonso was shown a yellow card for venting his frustrations at the officials.
He still had a clear-headed masterplan, though. “Even though we went 2-1 down in the second half, we were patient and planned to only go full throttle and press for the last 15 minutes,” Alonso said.
And it worked. Just as they did so many times en route to their unprecedented glories last season, when they earned the nickname “Bayer Laterkusen”, they levelled in the last minute through Patrik Schick. The fact they then went on to win on penalties felt destined.
“What we did at the end of the game with 10 players and scoring the late equaliser, we showed once again how big our spirit is,” Alonso said.
In his budding managerial career to date, Alonso has never been in a rush to get to his next appointment. He started out in the third tier of Spanish football with Real Sociedad B. When he got them promoted there was plenty of interest in him from top-flight clubs, most notably in Germany, but he opted to sign on for another year and continue the project he had started.
The same has happened in Leverkusen, even though those now courting him are among the biggest names in world football. At the end of March, Alonso publicly stated he would remain at Leverkusen to see out his contract.
That warded off speculation that he would be bound for either of his former clubs, Liverpool or Bayern Munich, who were in the market for replacements for Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel respectively. Another – Real Madrid – were also said to be a potential destination, despite the ongoing success of Carlo Ancelotti.
“My main concern was whether the discussions of the newspapers would influence our team [for the rest of the] season,” said Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen’s managing director of sport.
“It is one thing for it to happen in the summer – maybe a coach or player could leave you. But March, April and May was much more important than June or July for our club because we had the feeling that if we don’t win the German championship now, when will we win it?
“In conversations with him, I always had a good feeling. OK, it was not helpful that every four weeks a coach from his former teams left, or was going to leave their clubs, but the conversations were quite open, transparent and trustful.
“I think he appreciates the club culture and the way we work here.”
Be that as it may, Alonso will be bound for pastures new at some stage, as Fernando Carro, Leverkusen’s chief executive, acknowledges.
“It would be very important that [he] stays longer, but we know how football works,” Carro said.
“We have to be prepared as a club for a time after Xabi Alonso. It doesn't matter if it's 2025, 2026, 2027, whenever. We as a club have to be prepared for a time after Xabi because he will not stay here forever. This is clear.
“But for this year, it was extremely important and we hope it will be the same next year. After a year of reaching such a level, it was important to keep players, and it was important to keep him.
“Of course, he is the key guy that everyone respects. He has shown how ambitious he is, how humble he is, how experienced he is, and how well he can deal with the with the locker room.
“You work with him every day, you know how he thinks, how he works, so it has been very, very important for us [to retain him].”
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 bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
More on animal trafficking
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dunki
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Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
