It was framed as the apex but when the curtain fell on Qatar's World Cup and a bisht was draped around Lionel Messi's shoulders last December, the wheels were already in motion around the next phase of the country’s sporting project.
Confirmation of a bid to buy Manchester United by a little-known banker named Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani did not arrive until a little after 8pm on 17 February, yet Qatari interest was being cultivated soon after the Glazer family announced its intention to “explore strategic alternatives” on 22 November.
To become the next owner of one of the sport’s iconic clubs was too good of an opportunity to miss for a nation whose ambition matches its unlimited wealth.
Representatives for Sheikh Jassim, who from the outset has taken a back seat in negotiations despite being the face of the bid, say that his group is acting separately from the state. But his personal wealth is nowhere near the offer of more than £5bn submitted to buy the club and there are questions over the source of the funds that will need to be answered before the Premier League approves a deal.
But Qatar is a country where anything of value is intrinsically linked to the Emir by no more than a couple of degrees of separation.
At the most basic level, Sheikh Jassim is a member of the extended royal family whose father is a former prime minister. Those links have already been outlined by the fact Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the head of Qatar Sport Investments and president of Paris Saint-Germain, has been part of discussions with the Glazers even though he denies having any involvement in Sheikh Jassim’s bid.
(Al-Khelaifi placed on record that he had been approached for advice from someone interested in buying a Premier League club but denied he was directly part of a proposed offer.)
Either way, it comes under the same flag, representing the same Gulf state seeking to spread its economic tentacles.
Qatar, like Saudi Arabia, has a national vision for 2030 that aims to "transform [the country] into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development.” It is broken into four pillars but central to the entire concept are two needs: to diversify the economy away from oil and to enhance the country’s reputation abroad.
Paring it back to the small segment of sport for a moment, the first part can be achieved through investing in clubs across the globe and the latter by a continued attempt to bring major events to Doha.
Aside from an unlikely attempt to stage a future Olympic Games, it is impossible to attract anything bigger than the World Cup and that will not be back any time soon. But the calendar is filling up with dates in Doha: there is an annual visit from the F1 circus and golf’s European Tour; athletics’ Diamond League stages its opening fixture in the city; the World Aquatics Championships will be hosted there next year; and the basketball World Cup will visit in 2027.
That particular strand is reaching its consolidation phase and a wide expectancy that rivals Saudi Arabia will end up hosting the 2030 or 2034 World Cup (a decision from FIFA is due in 2024) presents a feeling that in this fast-paced economic race, they are already past their peak.
When it comes to ownership of successful sporting entities abroad, however, the Qataris are not quite as far down the road. And that is why, right now, it feels like Qatar needs Manchester United as much as Manchester United needs new owners.
The Saudis are upwardly mobile. Not just through their ownership of Champions League-bound Newcastle United but the weight thrown behind their domestic Super League, even if the clubs having the same owner shatters illusions around what the game is meant to represent, and lures some huge names to play for their clubs. Then there is their recent shock move to become golf's overlords.
Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, has extended its portfolio of clubs to more than a dozen and their group’s kingpin, Manchester City, has just become the second English team to complete the Treble.
That success is not without severe complications considering they have been charged with 115 breaches of Premier League financial sustainability rules that could see a maximum punishment of relegation but, again, City chiefs are speaking of record revenues and extending their domination on the pitch.
Qatar, on the other hand, is watching its expensive project at Paris Saint-Germain stuttering and spluttering to domestic trophies but suffering annual failures in Europe. Lionel Messi has left for Inter Miami, Kylian Mbappe has indicated he will not hang around and there is a feeling that the whole project has gone stale.
The Saudi and Abu Dhabi visions appear more coherent and with higher ceilings, which is why despite all the PR messaging around not paying over the odds and ultimatums around final bids that are then increased, the Qataris are very, very eager to get the keys.
Should the Glazers decide against selling United or Sir Jim Ratcliffe end up being the preferred bidder, wealthy Qataris will be expected to look towards another club. Liverpool is a wildcard option yet their supporters are likely to put up a greater fight against becoming a vehicle for a Gulf nation to enhance its reputation.
Beyond that, there is little possibility of them ending up with another of the game’s crown jewels, a club with the priceless combination of history and a fervent global fanbase already guaranteed.
But In the footballing race of the Gulf’s three big spenders, they are slowing while the other two pick up speed.
