World Cup memorabilia proves a big draw for football fans in Qatar

DOHA : Football fans in Doha have been flocking to see a collection of World Cup memorabilia put on show by two Qatari brothers and featuring medals, balls and shirts worn by the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as some more obscure items.

Fans from all over the world have been able to view everything from a shirt issued to Netherlands winger Arjen Robben for the 2010 final in South Africa to Diego Maradona's USA 94 World Cup ID among the rare soccer artefacts owned by the Almeer brothers, Esmael and Khalid.

"I collected cards and stickers and swapped them with other children at school as a child in the USA. We moved back to Qatar but the love for collecting sports memorabilia stayed with me ever since," Esmael told Reuters, explaining the genesis of the collection.

A former player for Qatar's national youth teams, Esmael saw the tournament as a perfect opportunity to share their collections with the world.

"Me and my brother Khalid, who is also an avid World Cup memorabilia collector, organised a football collectibles exhibition at the Katara cultural village on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar."

England fan Simon Ebrington was wide-eyed as he took in the objects on show.

"It's an insane amount of memorabilia ... I saw some photos over there and images of Roberto Carlos, he's my all-time number one footballer," he told Reuters.

The shirts are displayed behind glass panels on the walls at Building 18 in the Katara cultural centre with other items, including a promotional ball for the 2002 World Cup signed by Pele and a staff pass for the 1966 final at Wembley, which are stored in glass cases.

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