Tag: wales

[ad_1] Wales star Gareth Bale© AFPGareth Bale has declared himself 100 percent fit for the World Cup in Qatar as Wales prepare for their first appearance at the finals in 64 years. The 33-year-old has played just half an hour of football since completing his first 90 minutes for more than a year in Wales' Nations League defeat to Poland in September. Bale revealed he was not fully fit after coming off the bench to score a crucial late goal in Los Angeles FC's MLS Cup final triumph over Philadelphia Union on November 5. But the former Real Madrid forward said he was "100 percent fit and ready to go" ahead of Wales' departure to Qatar on Tuesday.Asked if he could play three 90-minute games against the United States, Iran and England in nine days, Bale replied: "Yeah, no problem."I'm fully ...

[ad_1] United States coach Gregg Berhalter warned his players to beware Wales captain Gareth Bale on Wednesday as he revealed his 26-man squad for the World Cup. The US face Wales on November 21 in their opening Group B game in Doha, with former Real Madrid star Bale looming large in Berhalter's thoughts. Bale provided a timely reminder of his enduring goal-scoring threat last Saturday, nodding in an opportunistic headed equalizer deep into stoppage time to help set up Los Angeles FC's MLS Cup victory.Speaking after revealing his World Cup squad at a ceremony in New York on Wednesday, Berhalter said Bale's knack of rising to the big occasion was cause for concern."One of the things that's scary about Gareth Bale is that he can do things like that," Berhalter said of Bale's game-saving ML...

[ad_1] Inactivity in club football has rarely prevented Gareth Bale from flourishing at international level and Wales fans will desperately be hoping that remains true at the World Cup. The 33-year-old Welsh talisman has been the driving force behind his country's renaissance over the past decade, which has included qualification for two European Championships and now a first World Cup appearance since 1958. Much of that success was achieved while Bale was struggling to cement his place among Real Madrid's "Galacticos", increasingly pushed to the margins as an unloved and under-used squad player.So when Los Angeles FC swooped for the five-time Champions League winner in June, it seemed like a match made in heaven.Los Angeles would get a proven match-winner to deliver impetus and experien...