Jason McAteer loved every minute of the two FIFA World Cup™ tournaments he played with the Republic of Ireland. From the incredible success story for his side as they beat Italy at USA '94, to the drama on and off the park for the Irish team in Japan and South Korea in 2002, McAteer witnessed two editions of the tournament which were taken to new regions.

Now he believes a new generation of players will leave Qatar with even better memories from the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, which McAteer can't wait to see come to life.

"Starting here everything is new and built from the ground up. I certainly have a great appreciation now of how much work goes into this and how tough a job it is. I'm very impressed with what's happening."

The former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland midfielder was given an in-depth tour of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy's technical operations following a recent visit to the organisation's Doha headquarters.

He told www.sc.qa: "As a player you don't appreciate what goes into a World Cup. I've been coming to Qatar for work for three years now and I understand the culture, I understand what the weather is like. People from England don't necessarily see that. As soon as Qatar won the bid, the reaction was 'it's too hot'. When you look at the technology and see how it's going to benefit the players and the fans, it's amazing."

For McAteer, the introduction of cooling technology developed by Qatar will bring a real benefit to players.

"You look at the cooling systems that Qatar is developing and they just weren't available back when I was playing. Ireland played Mexico in Florida and it was over 110 degrees. Obviously the Mexicans had a huge advantage over us and it was very tough. In 2022, it will be a level playing field for everyone, playing in the same conditions and same temperatures. Sometimes it's difficult to imagine how it will be because you can't imagine technology that's not right in front of your face."

"You start speaking to the experts and realize the fans will be catered for with Fan Zones and different areas in the city. I'm completely convinced that it would be a success, even on the weather alone."

The player who famously scored the winner against Holland in the game which took Ireland to the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ said that a compact tournament will have additional advantages for players and fans.

"What's really appealing to me is the fact it takes about one hour to get from the two grounds furthest away from each other," he said. "Having the World Cup in such a condensed area means everyone is going to be involved at the same time. It's going to be such a great event. You can't help but get excited about the plans for the future. It feels like things in Qatar have really been stepped up. People will sit up and take notice about what goes on here."

Now a pundit for beIN Sports, McAteer has no problems sharing his opinions on anything to do with football – especially when it comes to his former club Liverpool.

The main talking point for him is the arrival of Mario Balotelli from AC Milan last month.

"I don't know why Brendan thinks he's the man to sort Mario out. No other manager has been able to do it. I hope it's a signing that works out because I think he has a point to prove. I don't think he was as successful at Manchester City as he wanted to be and he left the Premier League under a shadow of controversy. Now he has another opportunity to show people what he's all about. I think he has to accept there will be times he doesn't play because of squad rotation. When it's not his turn to play I hope he applies himself in the right manner."

He added: "This season will be more difficult for Liverpool. I always thought the Premier League was going to be wide open last season and it was a great year for them to win it. This season it's going to be a lot harder. I don't think the fans expect them to win it but I think they're looking for a top four finish and some silverware."