Diolch, thank you, doesn’t seem enough for our great talisman, Gareth Bale, but Stephen (@StephenJBaker), Andrew (@ChallisMusings) and Richard of Brad’s Sketch Pad (bradssketchpad.co.uk) have all contributed to this blog. First Stephen reflects on a few Bale milestones, and what he’s meant (and will always mean) to Cymru fans.
Diolch Gareth Frank Bale, the real Prince of Wales. Monday 9th January 2023, Cymru’s greatest ever player decided to rest his bad back and retire from all football.
Originally tweeted by Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) on January 9, 2023.
Every football fan through history gets to watch their country’s player of their generation, but Y Wal Goch from 27th of May 2006 till last year’s World Cup got to watch the greatest player in Cymru’s history.
That day almost 17 years ago, when Cymru were 1 nil down against Trinidad and Tobago the dark days of Welsh football seemed never ending. Rob Earnshaw give us a glimmer of hope with an equaliser but we needed a hero, a light at the end of the tunnel. Little did we know that the skinny 16 year old from Whitchurch, who was about to come on for David Vaughan in the 54th minute of that match, would have brought so much pride, not just to football fans but to the entire country.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn just over 30 minutes he showed us what he was capable of when he set up Earnie’s winner. Later that year came his first of 41 goals for Cymru, when he scored a free kick against Slovakia in a game we like to forget about (score line and Paul Jones’ special 50th cap hair style). As the saying goes, ‘not all hero’s wear capes’ but our hero as wand for a left foot.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat followed was the stuff of dreams, goal after goal got us to our first tournament since 1958 in the Summer of 2016. More goals followed and we were in dreamland, a dream that has lasted for years. But for an injury just before our final game in qualification for the World Cup in Russia, there might have been another tournament but that would have been greedy.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe next campaign for Euro 2020 there were more goals and another qualification, this time it happened on home soil, sadly home soil was were most Cymru fans had to watch the COVID delayed finals.
I could write 100’s of words about each of his 41 goals for Cymru. But I will just talk about two, two goals that turned the Whitchurch boy into a Welsh God; as the S4C commentary team said after his goal against Belgium ‘Mae rhaid i ni neud Gareth Bale yn sant’ (We have to make Gareth Bale a Saint). Two goals that we will talk about for years to come, the way our parents talked about John Toshack.
Embed from Getty ImagesMarch 25th 2022, Cardiff City Stadium, Cymru vs Austria World Cup Playoff Semi Final. We’ve been in playoffs before, heartbreaking playoffs. This time would be different, Gareth wouldn’t break our hearts. There would be tears, lots of tears. Free kick on the edge of the Austrian area, only one man was going to take this, he told us before that ‘the dragon on his chest was all he needed’ seconds later we witnessed the most perfect free kick and that dragon was being shown to the pitch side camera and the watching world.
Then came June 5th 2022, apparently it was pouring down that night, not that any of us noticed in the ground. Watching Cymru’s greatest ever player has that effect on you, soaked but you don’t notice and don’t even care. Another free kick, this one not perfect but one we will never forget.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere comes a time where ever hero has to ride off into the sunset. Gareth, hope you enjoy your retirement. Don’t be a stranger.
Thank you for never letting us down.
Thank you for the Euros and World Cup
Thank you for the 111 times you played for us
Thank you for every one of your 41 goals.
Mae Gareth Bale Cymru yn caru chi
Andrew Challis and Richard Bradbeer combined their talents on the following poems and artwork.
