It's the beautiful game for a reason

THE relentless march of time is a remarkable thing.

- SUSAN LEE

Some mark its passage by noticing the changing seasons of the year, the roses blooming once again in the front garden or the ice back in the bird bath.

Others watch it race ahead by counting the grey hairs or their children’s birthdays or the arrival, once again, of a new series of Strictly.

Me? I mark it by World Cups.

It feels literally not a moment ago when I was writing about David Beckham becoming a brand ambassador in the last competition in Qatar.

That was in 2022, just weeks after Queen Elizabeth II had died - and he’d queued up to pay his respects with the public - yet it feels like no time at all.

The competition before that took place in a world where - unbelievably - no one had heard the words Covid or lockdown.