MADRID // Real Madrid confirmed on Monday night that Manuel Pellegrini will coach the club next season, Florentino Perez's first signing since assuming the presidency of the Spanish giants.
In a statement on the club's official website said that the 55-year-old Chilean had agreed to leave Villarreal after five seasons to lead Los Merengues.
Perez will present Pellegrini to the media on Tuesday.
Terms of the contract were not released and Madrid did not say if the deal stretched beyond 2010.
Villareal had said previously that any Spanish club looking to employ Pellegrini would have to buy out his contract worth ?4 million (Dh20.8m).
Pellegrini will replace Juande Ramos, who took over at Madrid in December after Bernd Schuster was fired.
Madrid finished second to arch rivals Barcelona this season after winning back-to-back league titles in the previous two seasons.
Pellegrini transformed Villarreal after arriving from River Plate in 2004.
The Chilean's fluid style of attacking football helped Villarreal seal qualification to Europe's premier club competition, the Champions League, twice during his five-year tenure. He also guided the Yellow Submarines to a fifth-placed finish in La Liga this season.
Pellegrini's arrival comes hours after Perez assumed the presidency of Real Madrid for the second time. Perez replaced Vicente Boluda after no other candidates came forward.
Perez presided over Madrid from 2000 to 2006, the so called 'galactico' era, when he turned the club into a star-studded global marketing giant featuring Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Ronaldo.
Madrid has to drop the doubts and reach those heights where it's meant to be," Perez said.
"We want to return Madrid to where it belongs."
French footballing legend Zidane returned on Monday as a special adviser to Perez, while former Madrid coach Jorge Valdano, who was sport director during Perez's previous term, is working alongside Zidane and as club director. Miguel Pardeza replaces sporting director Pedja Mijatovic who resigned earlier this month.
Madrid, a record nine-time European champions, was knocked out of the Champions League in the first knockout stage for the fifth straight season and went on to finish second in La Liga to Barcelona, who became the first Spanish club to win three major trophies in one season.
"We need to recover the values that turned (Madrid) into a legend," said Perez during his address from the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
"Our club is entwined in the history of football."
AC Milan's Brazilian superstar Kaka has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid to ring in the new Perez era, with Spanish media reporting that the attacking midfielder could be presented on Thursday.
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo has also been a long-term Madrid target since 2006, when Ramon Calderón won the presidency after Perez quit. Calderón resigned in January amid a vote-rigging scandal that is currently being investigated by a Madrid court.
*AP
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
