Under the clear Arabian nights of the Qatari deserts, you don’t need a telescope to see the full majesty of the heavens above.
The tiny gulf state, with its cloudless skies, is a haven for astronomers seeking unobstructed views of far-off worlds, with thousands of tourists each year regularly hitching their way out to the dunes under darkness to star gaze. And for the next four weeks, there will be no trouble spotting the brightest objects in the football galaxy either as the biggest names in the sport align in Doha in the hope it will be their turn to sparkle.
The World Cup is football’s equivalent of the stellar factory. From Pele to Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff to Zinedine Zidane, it’s the competition more than any other that has helped mere mortals ascend into legend. And this year there are no shortage of candidates looking to explode like a supernova in front of the watching world.
