Sports Desk: Gareth Bale is going to get the same status that Jimmy Murphy got in the 1958 World Cup. After 64 years, Wales are going to play in the World Cup, the team he will captain. There have been concerns over Bale’s form recently due to a lack of match play. However, the former Real Madrid forward is hopeful of playing in the first match of the World Cup.
Wales will play the first match in ‘B’ group against USA on November 21. Bale confirmed in a press conference before his flight to Qatar that he would be ready to play in the first match. “I am 100% fit and ready to play,” Bale said in response to media criticism of his fitness.
Bale played just five league games for Real Madrid last season. He later moved to America and played the full 90 minutes only once for Los Angeles FC. He scored the game-tying goal in the MLSA Cup Playoff win over Philadelphia on November 5.
Bell said, ‘No problem. If I have to play three matches for 90 minutes, I will play all three matches. It was a much more difficult time mentally. I think the last three or four weeks have been tough for everyone, even with the news of players getting injured and being knocked out of the World Cup. We’re praying that no one gets hurt, because it’s a great occasion.”
Bale knows this is probably his last chance to shine on the world stage. He will be 37 in 2026, ‘getting old’ on the one hand and whether the country will qualify for that World Cup is not guaranteed, in which case the 33-year-old forward is looking forward to making use of this opportunity. Bell wants to beat the USA on the first day.
