Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DRAGON.. AND ON.. AND ON
Gunter to collect 100th cap ... and he’s after 100 more
CHRIS GUNTER will make history tonight when he becomes the first Wales centurion – and he’s already got his eyes on another 100.
The 31-year-old displaced Neville Southall as Wales’s mostcapped player in November 2018 – his 93rd appearance.
Now the Charlton defender, who made his debut against New Zealand in 2007, will become his nation’s first Mr Tonderful when he leads out his team-mates for the friendly with Mexico in Cardiff.
It’s a career highlight for the extottenham full-back, who has pledged always to be ready should Wales ever need him.
“It means everything to me,” Gunter said ahead of his 100th cap. “As long as Wales need me I will be there ready and waiting. I don’t think I will be the one to end it. If I was 39 and got a call that everyone was out injured, then I would make myself available.
“Sometimes when you get to a high number of caps, people can forget your age and see you as old but I’m only 31 and still feel good. Playing three times a week is not really a problem for me.
“You always want more appearances and success with club and country. I don’t feel it is something I can’t do. It is dictated by your body and not your age.”
Low-profile Gunter has never been one for fuss and isn’t too concerned that the game is behind closed doors at the Cardiff City Stadium but he said it’s a shame best pal Aaron Ramsey is out injured.
Gunter said of the former Arsenal star, now at Juventus: “When I got my 99th cap in November he was pleased for me and said he would be there for my 100th. But then he got injured. I think he is disappointed and I am as well. Aaron has been my best mate since we were 12. I am gutted he is not going to be there. We miss him on the pitch too. With the friendship we have, he will be really proud for me.
“He will certainly be watching. Hopefully we will celebrate in the summer, if not before.”
Former Everton keeper Southall has also been passed in the list of Welsh caps by Wayne Hennessey, who will make his 95th appearance tonight.
And Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, on loan at Spurs until the end of the season, is on the 88 mark.
Gunter cited his previous career highlights as his Wales debut 14 years ago and the march to the semi-finals of Euro 2016. But he reckons Wales’s latest squad is the most talented he has been involved with.
He added: “We had in that 2016 squad some top players but now we have potentially more strength in depth.”
Wales will tonight be without midfielder Joe Allen, forced off after seven minutes of the midweek defeat by Belgium with a soft tissue injury.
The game in Leuven on Wednesday was Allen’s first international appearance since 2019, having previously been out for nine months with an Achilles injury. WALES: