Liverpool legend Ian Rush conducts a training camp for children on the sidelines of Aspire4Sport at Aspire Academy in Doha yesterday. Rush is the all-time leading goal-scorer for Liverpool, having scored a total of 346 goals in all competitions for the Merseyside club.
BY DENZIL PINTO
DOHA: Liverpool legend Ian Rush yesterday praised Aspire Academy, saying the sports facilities in Doha are ‘better than the English Premier League (EPL) club complexes’.
“The sports facilities here in Qatar are incredible,” said the 51-year-old, who was speaking after conducting coaching sessions with Global Academy students at the Football Festival.
The sessions were part of the Aspire4Sport Sports Congress that started yesterday and ends on Thursday.
Rush said: “It is the first time I have been here and the facilities are simply amazing – it’s better than English Premier League clubs. It’s got the grass, the astro turf, everything that is needed for someone to improve their football skills.”
He added: “I think there is no better place to learn football than here. It’s one of the best in the world,” he added.
The Welshman who scored 229 goals for Liverpool in a two-spell period (1980-1987 and 1988-1996) as well as having stints with Italian giants Juventus and English side Leeds United, believes it is essential that people benefit from the facilities.
He said: “You need to have these sort of facilities for people to improve their game. They can pick up a lot of things here.”
Nineteen-time EPL champions Manchester United and last season’s Champions League runners-up Bayern Munich have trained at the Aspire Academy during a winter training camp in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The German club will also hold a training camp in January next year.
With Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the first time it will be played in the Middle East region, the 5 foot-11 former striker said that the country are heading in the right direction to hosting the prestigious football tournament.
“The sports organisers are going the right way in preparing for the World Cup, especially with facilities like this (Aspire Academy),” Rush said.
“There is still a lot of work to be done with building new stadiums and transport,” he said at Aspire Academy.
“The World Cup is still ten years away but I think with these fantastic facilities, Qatar will benefit and should be ready,” he emphasised.
The striker, who is the leading scorer for Liverpool of all-time with 346 goals, will conduct further football sessions today and tomorrow.
Rush later visited the Aspire Academy exhibition area where the conference has attracted scores of policy-makers and sports personalities.
The Welshman retired in 1999.
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