WALES STAR BALE’S WARNING TO ENGLAND: WE WANT TO WIN EVERY GAME AND TOP THIS GROUP

kept in touch with his team-mates on a WhatsApp group the players use.

Cardiff- born Bale came through Wales’ youth teams alongside many of the current senior side, including Aaron Ramsey, Chris Gunter and David Edwards.

And Bale says it is that special bond which will give Wales an advantage when their Group B campaign kicks off against Slovakia in Bordeaux on Saturday.

“We all feel like brothers and will literally do anything for each other,” said Bale, fresh from winning a second Champions League title in three seasons at Real.

“We’ve all been together for such a long time and get on really well.

“We know each other’s games and we all fight for each other on the pitch.” Wales’ trip to Stockholm is their solitary friendly before the Euros, whereas England have played Turkey, Australia and Portugal in the last fortnight. But Wales manager Chris Coleman (above) explained it was a deliberate decision to play just one game on the back of a five-day training camp in Portugal.

“The reason we didn’t have two friendlies like other teams was that we wanted to use part of the time to remind them,” said Coleman.

“Players are coming to us playing different styles at clubs and we don’t play a conventional 4-3-3. We play a slightly different way.”

Coleman said Wales had the same policy before beating Belgium 1-0 last summer, the result which turned hope into expectation that they could finally end the long wait for qualification.

“We used the first week as training then on the pitch to re- emphasise things to players,” said Coleman.

“What we want to do, how we want them to work in the system. We used the week in Portugal to give them that reminder about what we need from them.

“We want them to know the demands in this formation and the challenge in front of them.”