World Cup 2022: How Qatar Built A Team 'Ready To Dazzle The World' | Football/Soccer

Qatar did still try and naturalize talent in line with the new regulations - Uruguayan Sebastian Soria was invited to play in the Qatari League 2004 and two years later he met the eligibility criteria to be naturalized, and a number of other players from overseas followed similar paths , but a lot of focus was placed on the longer term and the country's ability to develop their own players.

Eighteen years ago the £1bn Aspire Academy was founded with the aim of finding and nurturing the best talent both in football and in other sports - Mutaz Essa Barshim, who won high jump gold at the Tokyo Olympics last year, graduated from it.

In football, the academy scouts 5,000 11-year-olds in Qatar annually, with the most promising talent given a grant and then spending the next seven years being coached, alongside receiving an education.