50 sports stars who call the UAE home

Waqar Younis: The former Pakistan pace ace grew up in Sharjah as his parents used to stay here as expats before they moved to Pakistan. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been a witness to many of his bowling exploits during his career.

Rod Marsh: The Australian wicketkeeping great stayed in Dubai for a number of years from 2005 during the formation of International Cricket Council’s Global Cricket Academy in Dubai Sports City. He finally left Dubai to work for a new assignment for Cricket Australia.

Dayle Hadlee: The former New Zealand bowler and elder brother of Richard Hadlee had graduated to coaching after his retirement in 1978. He was appointed as coach of ICC Global Cricket Academy in 2008 and stayed in Dubai for a number of years.

Mudassar Nazar: The former Pakistan all-rounder called the ‘man with the golden arm’, Mudassar Nazar spent more than five years in Dubai as Director of ICC Global Cricket Academy. Nazar has come back recently in an advisory role for Emirates Cricket Board.

Abid Ali: The octogenarian former Indian all-rounder of the 1960s and 1970s, who has now migrated to the US to be with his family, stayed in the UAE as the national coach for a number of years. He resigned in 2005 after the UAE failed to qualify for the 2007 ICC World Cup.

Madan Lal: The former Indian all-rounder, a member of Kapil Dev’s World Cup winning team in 1983, is no stranger to living in the UAE. Apart from being the UAE national team’s coach in 1996 World Cup, he has come back repeatedly to host a series of coaching camps in Dubai & Sharjah.

Robin Singh: The former Indian all-rounder is currently the UAE head coach and Director of Emirates Cricket and had been a regular visitor to the UAE. He had been a resident of Dubai for a number of years when he set up his own academy at the Iranian Club.

Sunil Gavaskar: The original ‘Little Master’ has strong ties with Dubai and the UAE. He had been a brand ambassador of the Danube Group and owns real estate properties in Dubai. Ravi Shastri, Head Coach of Indian team The former Indian all-rounder is a frequent visitor to Dubai and often uses it as a stopover on way to his foreign sojourns. He is also a strong backer of the UAE hosting a major ICC event sooner than later.

Dave Richardson: The former South African wicketkeeper spent more than seven years in Dubai, from 2012-2019, as the Chief Executive of International Cricket Council. He was a popular figure in the local cricket and social circles.

Pakistan cricket team: An entire cricket team? Yes, as for 10 years from 2009 when Pakistan were isolated from hosting international cricket, the UAE was their official ‘home’ when the Pakistan Cricket Board hosted all Test-playing nations here in all formats of the game. This resulted in the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan to the current crop of players staying in the UAE for months together.

Sohaib Malik: The story of Pakistan all-rounder & former captain Sohaib and tennis icon, Sania Mirza, is the stuff of folklore. The all-rounder and Mirza have a home in Dubai and spend large slices of their time there.

IPL, PSL: The UAE has hosted Indian Premier League twice as well as the first three editions of the Pakistan Super League. This resulted in the Who’s Who of world cricket, from Virat Kohli, Babar Azam to Ben Stokes camping in the UAE for months together.

Roger Federer: The 20-time Grand Slam men’s champion has property in Dubai. Federer is no stranger to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, winning eight championships in the city, but he’s also the proud owner of a $16m penthouse in the Dubai Marina are.

David Beckham: The Beckhams have two properties in Dubai. The first is a seven-bedroom villa at the Palm Jumeirah, purchased in 2008. Like most villas in this area, theirs has its own private beach. The villa cost $1.6 million and was later given to Victoria’s parents.

Marion Bartoli: Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has been living in Dubai since 2013, shortly after she retired from tennis. The Frenchwoman recently announced she would be opening a tennis academy in the UAE, stating: “I absolutely love this place and will never think about living elsewhere in the world.”

Kristina Mladenovic: Multiple grand slam champion Kristina Mladenovic and one-time world No. 10 says the city is great for her game. “Dubai is my home,” the French tennis player told Gulf News last year. “This is by far the best place for me and my tennis … I had to make a choice between being here and France during those crucial pandemic months. And even though I chose to be with my family, my heart was always in Dubai as I waited for the day when I could get back here,” she added.

Heather Watson: Britain’s former world No. 1 couldn’t get enough of Dubai and immediately wanted to get her own place in the city. “This place is truly paradise,” she told Gulf News. “Playing in a beautiful setting like this looks so surreal to me. One of the things that struck me was ‘why don’t we buy a place and live here like so many other players who are using Dubai as a second home?’”

Jelena Jankovic: Former world No. 1 and Serbian professional tennis player Jankovic lives in Dubai, calling it one of her top places in the world. Jankovic famously faced off with Serena Williams during the 2014 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship finals.

Ed Jones: The Emirati-born British racer has competed with both his UAE and UK licenses. Ed Jones was born in Dubai in 1995 and began competitive karting at the age of nine.

Diego Maradona: The Argentine icon shook the UAE sporting scene in 2011 when he relocated to the country to coach the Arabian Gulf League club Al Wasl. In 2013, upon renewing his contract, Maradona said: “I am far from my country, but believe me, in Dubai I have found my second home.” He had a second stint coaching in the UAE with Fujairah.

Paul Pogba: The Frenchman is no stranger in the UAE, whether he is training with Manchester United or accompanied by his mother and family as he visits the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. In a sweaty Dubai snapshot shared to social media, the French footballer and World Cup winner stated: “They say hard work pay off what about hard work in the heat ? Let’s see ... loving the view though. Allah always in control.”

Cristiano Ronaldo: Ronaldo is such a loyal visitor to the UAE that he was awarded a 10-year golden visa. In 2020, he was in town to receive the Globe Soccer ‘Player of the Century’ award and stuck around to watch the fireworks and ring in the New Year with his family.

Lewis Hamilton: Yes, he’s often here for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But who says Hamilton can’t have his own agenda in town? One of Hamilton’s many visits to the UAE came in 2018, when he met with Hollywood actor Will Smith in Abu Dhabi to teach him how to race. “I’m doing a thing called the bucket list. I turned 50 this year and I decided I’m going to do everything I want to do. [Hamilton] granted the old man a wish,” said Smith.

Lionel Messi: The Argentine GOAT is an ambassador of Expo 2020 and became the face of it through campaigns and promotions. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was all smiles and looked right at home when he visited the city in February of last year.

Zinedine Zidane: The Real Madrid manager and former French player of Algerian descent has hopped over to Dubai on several occasions, whether to speak about AI at a press conference or to visit Wild Wadi with his family. In 2019, Zidane and French international Paul Pogba bumped into each other poolside right here in Dubai. If that doesn’t say home away from home, what does?

Arsenal: The Gunners are sponsored by Emirates Airline and consider Dubai their second home, frequently visiting in the past to either tour the city or train. The North London club played a friendly against Dubai’s Al Nasr back in 2019, winning 3-2.

Manchester City: City — sponsored by Etihad Airlines — have made a new home out of Abu Dhabi. Pep Guardiola’s side are known to pop on by for warm weather training whenever they get the chance.

Fabio Cannavaro: The former Italian centre-back spent many years of his life in Dubai, playing for local football club Shabab Al Ahli in 2010 and returning as an assistant coach in 2013.

Asamoah Gyan: The Ghanaian former Sunderland star stayed in the UAE for four years from 2011 with Arabian Gulf League club Al Ain, smashing goalscoring records for fun. He also showed his love for the UAE by returning for a stint with Al Ahli in 2016.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello: The Spanish golfer has lived in Dubai for more than a decade now, leading the trend of many of the top golfers setting up home here to take advantage of the weather and many elite golf courses.

Adri Arnaus: One of the many Spanish golfers who have moved over to the UAE, Arnaus first shot to prominence when he won the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final at Hamra Golf Club in 2018, and he is back in the UAE every chance he gets. Of his 2018 triumph, he said: "It is a dream come true. We will head to Dubai to celebrate, dinner is going to be on me tonight so whoever wants to join is more than welcome.”

Adrian Otaegui: The 28-year-old from - you guessed it - Spain is one of the latest additions to homeowners in the UAE. He made his name in the region in the 2018 Race To Dubai season finale at the DP World Tour Championship, finishing joint-fourth behind champ Danny Willett. When he is not on European Tour travels, Otaegui is usually relaxing in his UAE home from home.

Alison Muirhead: The Scottish Ladies European Tour star lives in Emirates Hills with her parents and family and can often be spotted working out at the European Tour Performance Institute in Dubai at at Jumeirah Golf Estates, and claimed her LET card in 2020 thanks to winning the Emirates Ladies Amateur Open.

Henrik Stenson: One of the UAE's oldest and most popular sporting resident's Stenson is a former golf world No. 1, and has a host of triumphs in the region including two Race to Dubai titles and two DP World Tour Championship crowns. "I obviously know lots of the courses in Dubai and they are always in fantastic condition. The climate can perfect for golf."

Renato Paratore: Big things are expected of this young Italian golfer, who has already won three top professional titles at the age of 24, including the British Masters. With a new residency in Dubai, he will be hoping the facilities and conditions can help him reach the heights of Stenson and Co.

Alvaro Quiros: Another of the Spanish armada, Quiros has seen the golfing scene evolve in the UAE, having been competing here for 20 years. He achieved a rare double in 2011 as he claimed both the Dubai Desert Classic and World Tour Championship in the city he now calls home.

Thomas Bjorn: The triumphant 2018 European Ryder Cup captain can be seen more and more playing the UAE courses for fun as he edges into retirement from the professional golfing scene, and his famous scowl is more often replaced with a smile as he is playing for leisure rather than serious competition.

Ernie Els: The South African can lay claim to a piece of UAE heritage that few others can match. Not only is the two-time major champion and former world No.1 a regular on the greens in the UAE, he also designed and launched his very own course - The Els Club - at Dubai Sports City.

Colin Montgomerie: The Scotsman is regarded as the greatest golfer never to win a major. Now taking it easier on the Seniors tour (where he has clocked up three majors) Monty can be seen during the winter months enjoying a round on his very own course at Montgomerie Golf Club, Emirates Hills.

Manny Pacquiao: It is never hard to tell when superstar boxer Pacquaio is in town, due to his massive Filipino following in the UAE. The fans follow him in droves, whether he is attending a boxing promotion, fashion shoot, charity event or even a basketball exhibition. Manny is rarely far away from Dubai, his favourite city, and could be back later in the year for a boxing bout of his own.

Michel Salgado: The former Real Madrid star has lived in the UAE for many years now, working closely with Dubai Sports Council as a speaker and ambassador for sport in the region. The hard-hitting full-back is now the director of Spanish Soccer Schools, which is based in Dubai Sports City.

Justin Dean Kluivert: The Dutch youngster is following in his father Patrick's footsteps on the field with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, but during the off-season, he is more likely to be spotted at the fashion stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi's malls or chilling at his holiday home here in the UAE.

Cagan Atakan Arslan: The Turkish Muay Thai fighter and kick-boxer has been breaking on to the silver screen, doing his own stunts in movies such as 'Taken 2', but when he is not in front of the camera or in the ring, the 2015 Glory World Series 20 Dubai champion spends his downtime in the UAE.

Dwight Yorke: The former Manchester United star striker is now spending his time as an ambassador for the Old Trafford club and rarely misses an opportunity to promote the Reds and their sponsors in the UAE, making sure he has time to hit the golf courses.

Nicolas Anelka: The retired French footballer was often over for warm weather training with Chelsea during his playing days. He was linked with a move to the Arabian Gulf League while still an active player and the UAE remains close to his heart. Now he enjoys a more laid-back lifestyle, and can often be seen taking in the high life at sop of the swankier spots in the UAE.

Peter Ebdon: The English snooker player who was World Champion in 2002 opted to leave behind the rainy weather of hometown and emigrated with his wife Deborah and four children - Ruby Mae, Ethan, Tristan and Clarissa - to Dubai and lived there until 2009.

Amir Khan: The British boxer and fashionista spends most of his time in the UAE. The 34-year-old has been pushing to stage a high-profile fight in the Emirates for years now, and may well be in the ring later this year as he bids to make a competitive return to action.

Chris Eubank: Speaking of fighting fashionistas, the most well-dressed boxer in history often spends large chunks of his time in the UAE, chilling on the beach and sometimes staging events as an inspirational speaker. He has recently been making inquiries of late to see about staging a fight for his son Chris Jr in the UAE.

Zeeshan Ali: The Indian Davis Cup star climbed as high as No. 12 in the ATP singles rankings in 1988, and planned out his future in the UAE, where he has set up a tennis academy in Dubai and was also the UAE's Davis Cup coach.

Sania Mirza: We mentioned Sohaib Malik earlier, but the top Indian femle tennis player deserves her own spot also as she is often seen around Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, balancing her sporting duties with those of being a parent.