From Graham Thomas in Lens
Gareth Bale believes unity and pride will carry Wales towards a first victory over England for 32 years on Thursday.
The unity comes from bonds strengthened by enduring the bad times that preceded the good. For once, the marketing men’s team slogan – #TogetherStronger – is no hollow cliché for a squad that have matured through shared experience.
The pride, says Bale, is from simply representing Wales, a theme he and others have stressed throughout the build-up to this Euro 2016 encounter in Lens.
Earlier this week, when Chris Coleman discussed Bale’s contribution to the victory over Slovakia, it was not the punishing free-kick that had him most animated, but the three headers the Real Madrid player directed into the stands when the seconds were ticking down.
Coleman said that Bale could have brought the ball down on his chest and expressed his own skill, but was aware that the more useful thing for the team was to deflect it as far away from the touchline as possible – Peter Kay ‘’ave it’ advert style.
Bale may be the primary goal-provider – he has scored eight and created two of Wales’ last 13 in competitive matches – but the real gift of Coleman is how he has got a 26-year-old world class player to flog himself every game for the cause.
There could be no bigger contrast at this tournament so far than Bale’s repeated headed clearances, set against the sulky posturing of his Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo during Portugal’s draw with Iceland.
“I don’t know too much about England and whether they are individuals or not, but for us, literally, everything is about the team,” says Bale.
“As I’ve said before, if somebody can’t get back I’ll fill in and if I have to make an unselfish run or not get the ball for someone else to create space, I’ll do that and it’s the same for all of us.
“We’ll all do what we have to do to help the team and I think that is the big difference for us. We really are a strong team, we’re united as one and we’ll do anything for each other.”
It was this willingness to do anything for the team that caused Bale to claim this week – in response to a question of how many – that no England player would get into the Wales team.
It may not have been his private assessment, but was he really going to say Harry Kane is a better player than Hal Robson-Kanu, the teammate who will no doubt sweat more blood for the Welsh cause against England on Thursday afternoon?
England manager Roy Hodgson refused to get involved in that numbers game when invited to pick a combined X1 from both sides. Instead, he invited the gathered journalists to do so and even claimed he would be interested in the results.
A few would find room only for Bale in an otherwise England-dominated side. More would place Aaron Ramsey and Bale alongside nine Englishmen, whilst a few more would also include both Ashley Williams and Joe Allen to make it a seven-four split, with Neil Taylor also getting some votes to close the gap to six-five.
Few, though, would include a majority of Welsh players in a composite team, which is where pride comes in. Any shortfall in quality, suggests Bale, is more than made up for in the transformation that occurs when he and his teammates pull on a red shirt.
“You grow up from a youngster watching the rugby or football, or any sport, and everything about Wales is about the pride and passion to represent the country,” he says.
“It means everything to me and when we put on the shirt there is no bigger honour for us. You can see when we sang the national anthem against Slovakia – it was absolutely ridiculous. Everyone was gripping each other in the line. There was good bumps and everyone was crying on the pitch after it.
“That is just Wales. We play for the shirt and dragon. We give everything we have got.
“It is a jersey that brings something else out of me, it gives you a feeling as though you are 10 foot tall. That is maybe why I made my comments.
“I feel we are the most passionate country and it is not to say that any other country does not have pride and passion, they obviously do. But in my opinion we have the next level and the fans, players and nation show it.”
Those references to Welsh pride – and the slight taken by England to Bale’s view that English pride is not as fiercely felt – means he believes his 57th appearance for his country could be one of the more painful.
“It is normal to take a few kicks. If someone wants to man-mark me I will just move the player out of the way and create some space. It doesn’t bother me.
“If I don’t get the ball I will stand on the wing and he can stand next to me and there will be a massive hole in the middle. We’ll all do what we have to do to help the team and that is the big difference for us.
“It’s a different atmosphere and a different team completely to Madrid. With Wales it’s more about the team.
“We have to work hard as a team. We haven’t got the luxury of having the choice of anybody. We have a very good team with very good players but we have to work hard together to get victories.”
If England cannot match Wales for pride and spirit, they do, at least, have greater collective experience of these kinds of matches. Only Bale has been a regular in the Champions League for Wales, which is why the two-times medal-winner has been keen to pass his wisdom on.
“It’s great to have that experience. There’s probably a bit more pressure in the Champions League final than there is in a group game.
“But there’s still massive pressure to win the game – pressure that we put on ourselves, if anything. We want to qualify. We want to be the best team. There is a little bit of pressure, but we try and thrive off it.
“I’ve got experience in big games and pressure situations so I’ve obviously spoken to one or two of the boys and a few have come up to me as well.
“I’ve just given them a bit of advice – how to help them not be so nervous and try to ease the pressure and try to enjoy it. If you enjoy your football you play a lot better.”
Wales – and Bale – would enjoy nothing as much as ending that 34-year losing stretch.