• Spaniard Santiago Sanchez aims to reach Qatar by foot in time for the 2022 World Cup. He left Madrid in January this year and has since crossed much of Europe and Turkey. All photos: Reuters
    Spaniard Santiago Sanchez aims to reach Qatar by foot in time for the 2022 World Cup. He left Madrid in January this year and has since crossed much of Europe and Turkey. All photos: Reuters
  • The football aficionado, who plays in a team in Madrid, saved up the money for the trip while working in a gym and at a logistics company. To him, reaching the World Cup is not only a goal in itself, but also a deadline to drive him forward, one step at a time.
    The football aficionado, who plays in a team in Madrid, saved up the money for the trip while working in a gym and at a logistics company. To him, reaching the World Cup is not only a goal in itself, but also a deadline to drive him forward, one step at a time.
  • 'If you don't set a date for your dreams, you don't realise them,' Mr Sanchez said as he approached the town of Zakho in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
    'If you don't set a date for your dreams, you don't realise them,' Mr Sanchez said as he approached the town of Zakho in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
  • In Zakho, he was hosted by a local Iraqi Kurdish family. One of the boys who picked him up at the Turkish border had first met him in Turkey, and offered to host him once he crossed the Iraqi border.
    In Zakho, he was hosted by a local Iraqi Kurdish family. One of the boys who picked him up at the Turkish border had first met him in Turkey, and offered to host him once he crossed the Iraqi border.
  • To Mr Sanchez, human encounters and communication without borders are the lifeline of the sometimes exhausting journey.
    To Mr Sanchez, human encounters and communication without borders are the lifeline of the sometimes exhausting journey.
  • He hopes to reach Qatar in time for the opening ceremony on November 20. 'I would be delighted if the team received me. I'll have a few words, a bit of time to speak to them about my experience. The power of persuasion, of sacrifice, it is not easy to reach Qatar and I want to give them a little bit of motivation so they give it all on the pitch,' he said.
    He hopes to reach Qatar in time for the opening ceremony on November 20. 'I would be delighted if the team received me. I'll have a few words, a bit of time to speak to them about my experience. The power of persuasion, of sacrifice, it is not easy to reach Qatar and I want to give them a little bit of motivation so they give it all on the pitch,' he said.

MENA

Walking to the World Cup: Spaniard reaches Iraq - in pictures

Santiago Sanchez left Madrid on foot in January and hopes to reach Qatar in time for the 2022 World Cup

The National

September 06, 2022

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Updated: September 06, 2022, 11:28 AM
PhotographyIraqQatarWorld Cup