Wales international Gareth Bale has been branded the 'biggest let-down' of the 2022 World Cup just a few months after being linked with a move to St. James' Park.
In the nation's first appearance on football's biggest stage in 64 years, the 33-year-old scored their only goal - a second-half penalty against the USA - in what ended up being an underwhelming experience for the Welsh as they finished bottom of Group B after losses to Iran and England.
While many know of Bale's iconic performances for Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid over the past decade, some believe his move to the US as he joined MLS side Los Angeles FC in the summer was a poor decision.
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Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy highlighted the fact that he could've returned to England when he was rumoured to be linked with the Magpies - who have enjoyed a fantastic start to their Premier League campaign - before he joined LAFC.
"Bale’s problem is that he ticked over in the US at LAFC," he told Grosvenor Sport. "And you can’t just tick over ahead of a World Cup.
"He would have been better off going to a team like Cardiff or Newcastle, doing something here and having the physical and mental challenge every single week. He’s gone out to the US and been playing in a league where he can just coast along. Why did he go out there?"
Bale's biggest moment over in the States was scoring a headed equaliser in the 128th minute of the MLS Cup Playoff Final to bring the scoreline to 3-3 against Philadelphia Union with virtually the last touch of the match, which LA then won on penalties.
Ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, interviewed alongside Cundy, however believed that Bale was 'useless' when on the pitch and didn't contribute anything to the Welsh attack throughout the tournament.
"The biggest let-down at the World Cup for me, player-wise, has been Gareth Bale. Everyone talked about Bale going into the tournament, how he dragged Wales there, everyone hyped him up. He goes out to LAFC to try and keep himself fit and then he turns up to the World Cup and he was useless, he was nowhere near good enough for Wales.
"And we’re not talking about someone that’s 38 here, like a Pepe or a Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s only 33, he’s still got legs in him. But he’s gone out to LA to play golf, living the dream in California, coming off the bench for LAFC..
"And he expects to turn up to a World Cup and he’s going to perform? That’s why, for me, he’s been the biggest let-down of the tournament. He thought he could roll up to a World Cup and perform for Wales and be their main man, but he was useless."
Bale himself has responded to fierce criticism by insisting he hopes that his 111th senior cap for his country against the Three Lions wasn't his last. When asked if he'd play in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, he said:
"I hope so, yes. I will keep going as long as I can and as long as I am wanted. It's a difficult moment now obviously.
"We go again. We have a qualifying campaign starting up again in March and we have a few months to get away from international football for months, which is obviously disappointing. But we go again in March."
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