Live a footballer's life in Dubai

We have the good fortune to live in a city favoured by footballers: not only is Dubai full of restaurants and clubs where these bright young things can flash their cash, but it offers a sunny, accessible and generally paparazzi-free haven. And it’s not just present-day footballers enjoying Dubai – the city is becoming the place to live for retired players. ‘There are huge tax incentives available to [footballers],’ explains finance boss Paul Hymers of Atlas Corporate Services. ‘Sportsmen have short careers, so they can maximise what funds they have accumulated.’ In short: expect more and more footballers to be moving here to save a bit of cash. Gulp.

To celebrate Dubai’s status as the premier playground for footballers, here we profile their favourite hangouts and pick five venues at which to enjoy the Euro 2012 tournament from Friday June 8 (see page 106 for more venues, and the Sport & Outdoor section every week for UAE match timings). Hate football? We’ve also listed football-free activities. Back of the net.

Caramel
This sleek lounge is a magnet for footballers. Newcastle United’s Danny Simpson was spotted chowing down on miso cod, TNT shrimp, a sundae brownie and a few mixed drinks. England midfield dynamo Scott Parker is also known to have visited the DIFC hotspot to carb-load on mac and cheese, as well as spicy yellowtail, tuna rolls and Chinese salad. Al Nasr’s Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni (who, with a name like that, could also double as Fat Toni’s sidekick in The Simpsons) is a regular at Caramel and, like every other footballer, enjoys a spot of TNT shrimp.
DIFC (04 425 6677).