FAIRY BALE
He wants one last shot at appearing on the biggest stage
GARETH BALE is desperate for “one more fairy tale” as he prepares for a final shot at World Cup qualification with Wales.
four The Champions on-loan Tottenham League wins man with has Real a packed Madrid. trophy cabinet, including
He also starred as his country reached the last four of Euro 2016 and helped them to this summer’s Euros.
But he is yet to grace the biggest stage of all – a World Cup finals – while his beloved Wales haven’t appeared at a finals since 1958. But the
nation’s record scorer and captain, who has 33 goals and 87 caps, wants to end that wait.
And he freely admits Qatar 2022 is likely to be his last chance as he prepares to lead Wales in their opening qualifier in Belgium tonight.
Bale, 31, said: “We want to give it our best shot and possibly it is the last time I will be able to qualify for a World Cup.
“It is the one thing left I want to achieve.
Hopefully there is still one more fairy tale to happen.
“It would be amazing to play for Wales in a
World Cup, that is the dream for me. We need to give everything for the country.
“It might be the last time our generation has the chance to qualify for a World Cup.
“We want to try and take this opportunity to qualify. We haven’t done that for a long time.
“It is something that all of us players dream of doing, playing in a World Cup for Wales.”
Belgium top the FIFA world rankings and have not lost at home in a competitive game since 2010.
But Wales are unbeaten against the Red Devils in their last four meetings and Bale says he feels sharp, despite being an unused sub for Spurs against Aston Villa on Sunday.
He said: “Over the last few years this is probably the most match fitness I’ve had. I’m feeling fresh and ready to go.”
Wales came close to making the 2018 World Cup in Russia but Bale was absent for their last qualifier as Republic of Ireland beat them 1-0 to reach the play-offs instead.
Bale added: “I was up in the stands and it was very frustrating, I felt like I was kicking every ball.
“It was obviously difficult after the game to have the loss and have the dream of qualifying end.
“Hopefully we can draw on those experiences and use that hurt to push us even harder.”