Diego Forlan sees both his former manager and strike partner face Barcelona on Tuesday in Manchester, a city he used to call home.
The Uruguayan played under Manuel Pellegrini and with Sergio Aguero. He is not surprised at how well both are doing for the English side.
“Pellegrini understood his players,” Forlan says of the manager who relaunched his career at Villarreal after a frustrating time at Manchester United. “‘Be calm tomorrow,’” he said to me before a big match. ‘Don’t be anxious.’ Simple, soothing and yet effective words, like hearing a doctor say that you will be OK. Because I trusted him, I believed him.
“One day, I stayed behind after training to practise shooting. I saw Pellegrini watching and, after a while, went to speak to him.
“‘Why do they call you the engineer?’ I asked. He told me about his life as an engineer in his home city of Santiago, combining his studies with being a footballer and working on buildings.
“I asked him about earthquakes as Santiago has suffered large ones. He explained that working on buildings in an earthquake area was another challenge in a tough job, but that he had worked on two buildings which had survived earthquakes. He was proud of that.
“There was no chance of him leaving anything he did to chance, either as an engineer or a coach.”
Forlan moved to Atletico Madrid, where he added another European Golden Boot to the one he had won at Villarreal. In Madrid, he formed a formidable partnership with Sergio Aguero.
“Kun [Aguero] is strong, quick and has a natural instinct for scoring goals. Nice guy too. We linked up really well and were one of the best attacks in Europe,” Forlan says. “We were part of a group of players who changed the mentality at Atletico.
“We didn’t believe all the rubbish about the club being cursed and always failing. We didn’t fail. Everyone said Atleti had the players to be a good team, but not a great one.”
“Kun’s doing really well in England and so is Pellegrini,” Forlan added. “That doesn’t surprise me. Though had you told me 10 years ago that one of the best managers in the world and one of the best coaches in the world would be doing well at Manchester City, that would have surprised me.”
sports@thenational.ae
UPI facts
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Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
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Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
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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.
Company%20profile
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
