BERLIN (Germany) - Spain's 2010 FIFA World Cup winner Javi Martinez spent nine successful years playing football for European giants Bayern Munich and developing a love for so many things in Germany.
It was a no-brainer that he'd show up in Berlin when the city hosted the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup this summer.
Martinez brought some good luck to Berlin because Spain ended up defeating Germany in the Third Place Game to reach the podium.
It turns out he's also the ideal person to offer insight to another country, Qatar, which is hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup next year. After ending his time at Bayern, Martinez continued his pro career in Qatar and played there several years.
"When [Qatar] organize something, when they host something - in sport, in medicine, whatever it may be - they do it big and put all their effort into it, as a country and as a society, to make it a resounding success," Martinez said to FIBA while in Berlin.
I encourage everyone who doesn't know Qatar to come, because it's a place that surprises you and leaves a mark on you
"They have world-class arenas and sports facilities - and not just for basketball. They have invested a huge amount of money, not only in infrastructure but also in bringing in coaches, physical trainers, nutritionists and staff members, so that everything is ideal for athletes and their development.
"So I'm sure that the stadiums, the facilities and everything around the players will be five-star, and we're going to see a perfect World Cup."
Martinez had no problems leaving European life for one in Qatar.
"Well, I had the advantage of having gone to Qatar nine years in a row with Bayern," he said. "So I already knew the city a little, I knew the country, I knew the winter climate, which is wonderful. So it was easy for me to adapt to the country.
"It's true that my wife and kids were a bit more reluctant because they didn't know the country, but I managed to convince them. And today they don't want to come back - they're extremely comfortable and happy there, and they want to stay a few more years even though I'm no longer playing football.
"So it's an incredible country. During the summer months it does get very hot, but the country is prepared for that heat - even walking down the street you'll notice there are places with air conditioning where you don't feel cold, but you do feel a big contrast between the places without air conditioning and the streets that have it."
For me, basketball is one of the most beautiful sports in the world to watch, and it would be incredible.
Qatar does have some clear advantages when it comes to hosting an event like the World Cup. All four playing venues are in Doha.
"The possibility of having every game barely 25 minutes away is great for the players, but also for the fans," Martinez said.
"As happened at the FIFA World Cup, there were people who could attend three games in a single day.
"For basketball lovers, that is something very important.
"On top of that, all of Qatar's stadiums and arenas are among the best in the world. The hotels and all the facilities are ready for both fans and players to enjoy their stay in Qatar."
Martinez feels very strongly about Qatar being a host city that pole must visit.
"I encourage everyone who doesn't know Qatar to come, because it's a place that surprises you and leaves a mark on you," he said. "It's different from everything we know, both in Europe and in the rest of the world.
"Come to the World Cup, because you're going to have a great time, you're going to see great basketball, and you're going to discover a place where you'll be welcomed as part of the family.
"Arabs in general, and Qataris in particular, love hosting people - they treat visitors with enormous warmth and make them feel at home."
Martinez is also excited about the World Cup because of what it means for the country where he makes his home now.
"Qatar has one great quality: they want to grow as a country through education and sport, and to do that they have set out to bring in every sporting event possible, so that people who may not yet know a sport - basketball, in this case - can experience it first-hand and see whether they like it...
"For me, basketball is one of the most beautiful sports in the world to watch, and it would be incredible. It's true that there are already teams and academies there, but it still needs that little push that I believe this World Cup can give it, so that everyone in Qatar follows the sport and it grows the way other sports have."
FIBA