The battle of the billionaires takes place this weekend with Manchester City welcoming Chelsea, the league leaders, to Eastlands. Both clubs have spent lavishly since being taken over by their respective owners.
Roman Abramovich, the Russian oil tycoon, acquired the London side in June 2003 and immediately set about investing capital to create a side capable of winning first the Premier League and then the Champions League.
Abu Dhabi's own Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bought City in September 2008 with a similar goal, but starting from a lower position as the club had not won a trophy for 33 years when he took over.
Last weekend, Chelsea fielded a team against Blackpool worth in excess of £145 million (Dh835m); City's side for their match against Wigan Athletic was valued at close to £175m. Five years ago, when the two sides faced off in Manchester, City's first XI was worth just £16.3m - more than 10 times less than today's team.
Since Abramovich's takeover, Chelsea have won three league titles, three FA Cups and two league cups - the club's first league and cup double coming in only the second year of the Russian's tenure.
With City having narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League this season, the pressure is on Roberto Mancini, their manager, to bring success to the blue half of Manchester in Sheikh Mansour's third year at the helm.
City will undoubtedly continue to spend in search of silverware, but Chelsea are now at a stage where wholesale changes are not required. Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, was quiet in the transfer window this summer, purchasing only Yossi Benayoun and Ramires, the Brazilian.
Sheikh Mansour, in contrast, sanctioned signings in excess of £107m in a bid to strengthen. And yet already Chelsea find themselves seven points ahead of the wealthy rivals in the race for the title.
Only Chelsea have conceded fewer goals than City, but perhaps an indication that their massive investment in strengthening at the back as well as up front is paying off .
@Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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The five pillars of Islam
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
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.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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Kanye%20West
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Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Match statistics
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 36 Bahrain 32
Harlequins
Tries: Penalty 2, Stevenson, Teasdale, Semple
Cons: Stevenson 2
Pens: Stevenson
Bahrain
Tries: Wallace 2, Heath, Evans, Behan
Cons: Radley 2
Pen: Radley
Man of the match: Craig Nutt (Harlequins)
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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