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Real Madrid salaries 2025/26: Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham among top earners

Xabi Alonso has called for reinforcements as Real Madrid look to turn the page on a disappointing end to the Carlo Ancelotti era.

Ancelotti's Madrid were dismantled regularly by rivals Barcelona last season, who won all four meetings between the sides as well as winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup crowns.

Italian coach Ancelotti left for the Brazil national team job and was replaced by former Madrid midfielder Alonso, who must now revive a squad packed with household names.

As well as star players like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, Alonso has new weapons at his disposal. Over €170 million was spent this summer to sign full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and 20-year-old Netherlands-born Spain centre-back Dean Huijsen, who arrived from Bournemouth.

The club also signed Spanish left-back Alvaro Carrera from Benfica, bolstering their defensive options following a trophyless campaign in 2024/25.

The new Madrid manager must also address other issues, including getting the best out of Mbappe and Vinicius given they are still yet to reach their top level in the same side.

Although French star Mbappe struck 43 goals under Ancelotti, it was not enough to inspire a Madrid side that finished the season without a major trophy.

Mbappe's illness with a stomach bug also kept him out of Madrid's group matches at the Club World Cup.

Madrid also go into the new season without Luka Modric in the squad for the first time in over a decade.

Dani Carvajal's return from a long-term knee injury is another piece of good news for Madrid.

Below is the wage bill of Real Madrid for the new season, compiled from reports, capology.com and salaryleaks.com.

Real Madrid salaries 2025/26

1. Kylian Mbappe – €600,000 per week

2. David Alaba – €430,000 per week

=3. Vinicius Junior – €400,000 per week

=3. Jude Bellingham – €400,000 per week

=5. Federico Valverde – €320,000 per week

=5. Trent Alexander-Arnold – €320,000 per week

7. Thibaut Courtois – €290,000 per week

=8. Eder Militao – €280,000 per week

=8. Antonio Rudiger – €280,000 per week

=10. Rodrygo – €240,000 per week

=10. Aurelien Tchouameni – €240,000 per week

=10. Eduardo Camavinga – €240,000 per week

=13. Dani Ceballos – €200,000 per week

=13. Ferland Mendy – €200,000 per week

=13. Dani Carvajal – €200,000 per week

=16. Alvaro Carreras – €173,000 per week

=16. Dean Huijsen – €173,000 per week

18. Brahim Diaz – €140,000 per week

19. Raul Asencio – €120,000 per week

20. Arda Guler – €100,000 per week

21. Fran Garcia – €80,000 per week

22. Endrick – €70,000 per week

23. Andriy Lunin – €67,000 per week

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

Red flags

Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.

Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.

Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.

Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.

Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

The five pillars of Islam

Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics

Greatest of All Time

Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan

Director: Venkat Prabhu

Rating: 2/5

UAE currency

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

RESULT

Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2

Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')

Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')

The five pillars of Islam

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023

More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE

Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems

Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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If you go

Flying

Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.

Touring

Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com

RESULTS

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Zayed Sustainability Prize

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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance

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Brief scores:

Manchester United 4

Young 13', Mata 28', Lukaku 42', Rashford 82'

Fulham 1

Kamara 67' (pen),

Red card: Anguissa (68')

Man of the match: Juan Mata (Man Utd)

While you're here

Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 402bhp

Torque: 760Nm

Price: From Dh280,000

Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.

Honeymoonish

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Tomorrow 2021

Company Profile

Company name: Yeepeey

Started: Soft launch in November, 2020

Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani

Based: Dubai

Industry: E-grocery

Initial investment: $150,000

Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year

Tomorrow 2021

Recommended

On Women's Day

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday

Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)

Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)

Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)

Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)

Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)

Sunday

VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)

Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)

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.

US households add $601bn of debt in 2019

American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.

Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.

In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.

The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.

"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.

Hales' batting career

Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94

ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171

T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out

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The%20new%20Turing%20Test

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Killing of Qassem Suleimani

Whiile you're here

VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS

Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)

Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)

Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)

Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)

Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)

Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)

Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)

Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)

Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

War and the virus

While you're here

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