Gareth Bale is fired up for a final shot at World Cup glory but could retire from Wales along with Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen if they miss out.
That is the view of former Wales captain Ashley Williams who is close pals with his ex-team-mates and reckons the trio will have already made up their minds. Williams is rooting for his old side who face Austria in Cardiff on Thursday in a huge one-legged play-off semi-final.
Victory would mean Rob Page’s men will face either Scotland or Ukraine in June for a place at Qatar this winter but defeat and the dream of Wales’ first World Cup appearance since 1958 is over. And with it, potentially, the distinguished international careers of centurion Bale, 32, Ramsey, 31, and Allen, 32, who have helped Wales to the last two Euros.
Asked about the trio’s decisions on their futures, Williams replied: “They have probably made it to be honest. That is not out of their mouths, that is out of my mouth. They would have to answer it but it is a last chance for a World Cup especially. They are all getting on a little bit unfortunately. You can’t go on forever. That is just football and careers.
“None of us have been to a World Cup and they will be desperate to get there. It would be nice for those boys to make a World Cup. If you look at Gaz, who has achieved so much , he hasn’t been to a World Cup. I know how desperate he is to get there. The ambition is there, especially with those players. At least half our squad, it is probably the last chance for them.”
Former Swansea and Everton stopper Williams won 86 caps and retired from football in January 2021. He has since become a respected pundit and still has close ties to Wales squad. Despite Bale and Co’s days being numbered, Williams is encouraged to see a new generation of youngsters coming through like Brennan Johnson, Ruben Colwill and Mark Harris.
Williams, speaking at the Utilita Kids Cup, added: “At some point it was always going to happen that the 2016 squad is going to end. You have seen that already with a number of us retiring from international football. You have still got some left but the likes of Gaz , Aaron and Joe are going to finish playing at some point. But the beauty of Wales and being in and around the set up is we have a lot of young talent coming through.
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“You are seeing that with the likes of Brennan Johnson and others. The younger boys like Dan James and Brennan, they will have more time and more chances. If we continue to qualify for tournaments it is an inspiration to the next ones coming through.”
But first Wales must dispose of Austria, who are ranked 30th in the world - ten places below Wales - and ended up in the play-offs despite coming fourth in Group F. Williams assessed: “We are very strong at home. Playing at Cardiff City Stadium with a full house gives us such an advantage over the Austrian team.
“Especially when we have Gaz and Rambo on the pitch and Dan James is playing football now in the Premier League week in week out.”
Williams was appearing at the EFL’s Utilita Kids Cup. As part of Utilita's work to help kids keep active through football, over 22,000 schoolchildren will take part in the Utilita Kids and Girls Cup six-a-side tournaments for the chance to represent their local EFL club and compete at Wembley. To find out more, visit: https://www.efl.com/clubs-and-competitions/utilita-kids-girls-cup/
