From Bobby Charlton to Lionel Messi: 11 Ballon d’Or winners to grace the UAE

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In conjunction with his look back at Pele's 1973 visit to Dubai and Liverpool's 1978 friendly against Al Nasr, Gary Meenaghan counts down 11 of the most decorated footballers to excite in front of UAE fans.

Bobby Charlton (1966)

The Manchester United and England captain travelled to the UAE in 1982 as part of an England XI made up of 1966 World Cup winners, including Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. They played Al Nasr and several other teams. Despite their advanced years, they never came close to losing.

Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979)

The England captain twice won the Ballon d’Or with Hamburg, but he played Al Nasr in 1982 after joining Southampton. The match was a testimonial for Dr Mohamed Kassala, the Sudanese forward who plied his trade with the Dubai-based club.

Lothar Matthaus (1990)

When the Emirates played West Germany at the 1990 World Cup, Lothar Matthaus swapped shirts with UAE captain Abdulrahman Mohammed. Eleven years later, he came to Dubai and played for Nasr in Mohammed’s testimonial match against Esteghlal.

George Weah (1995)

The Liberian won the Ballon d’Or after a season with AC Milan in which he won the Italian scudetto and finished top scorer in the Uefa Champions League. He joined Al Jazira at age 35 and managed 35 goals in his two seasons in the UAE.

Pavel Nedved (2003)

The Czech forward led Juventus to a league and cup double and the final of the Champions League in a stand-out season that culminated in the Ballon d’Or. In 2011, two years after retiring, he played in Abu Dhabi as part of a charity match, in which he earned the man-of-the-match award.

Andriy Shevchenko (2004)

Ukraine’s most prolific striker played in the UAE in January 2009 with AC Milan in the Dubai Football Challenge. Milan beat Hamburg at The Sevens on penalties in a match that was the Milan debut of David Beckham.

Ronaldinho (2005)

Barcelona’s mercurial Brazilian won the Ballon d’Or in late November, but two weeks earlier he was in Abu Dhabi when his country defeated the UAE 8-0 at Zayed Sports City. He also played in the 2009 Dubai Football Challenge with AC Milan.

Fabio Cannavaro (2006)

In 2006, Italy’s World Cup-winning captain became the first defender in 10 years to win the Ballon d’Or. Four years later he joined Al Ahli as part of a high-profile revamp. After retiring in 2011, he remained with Ahli as a technical consultant.

Kaka (2007)

The Brazilian scored the opener in his country’s 8-0 win ovr the UAE in 2005. Four years later, he returned with Milan as part of the Dubai Football Challenge, which Milan won on penalties after a drawn match with Hamburg.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014)

When Real Madrid played Milan in the 2014 Dubai Football Challenge, the Portuguese scored but could not keep his side from losing 4-2. Ronaldo has visited the country many times, but it was his first time playing.

Lionel Messi (2009-2012)

The Argentine travelled to Abu Dhabi with Barcelona in 2009 as part of their Club World Cup campaign. In the final, against Estudiantes, Messi netted an extra-time goal with his chest. Barca coach Pep Guardiola described it as having been “scored with the heart”.