Wales players and staff held a minute's silence at their training ground in tribute to the late Gary Speed who passed away 11 years ago today.
Speed was a pivotal figure in Wales' rise from the doldrums, with the Red Dragons charging up the FIFA rankings under his leadership having dropped to a miserable low of 117th in the world.
However, just 15 days after overseeing an immensely impressive and encouraging 4-1 friendly win over Norway in what was only his 10th match as manager, Speed tragically took his own life.
The former Everton, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United midfielder was widely credited with transforming the professionalism behind the scenes at the Football Association of Wales during his tenure as manager.
He was later succeeded by Chris Coleman who led his country to their first major tournament since 1958, with Wales going on to qualify for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In Wales' latest open session at the World Cup, all 28 members of the Wales squad in addition to the coaches and support staff gathered around the centre circle of their training pitch to hold a minute's silence as a mark of respect to the Welsh legend.
Speaking about Speed - who won 85 caps for his country as a player - ahead of Tuesday night's must-win clash with England, midfielder Joe Allen said: "Gary was a great man, he’s often in the players’ thoughts.
"He was an inspiration first and foremost as a player and then as a manager. He played a big part in the start of the journey that this team has been on. We remember him very fondly."
Send your message of support to the Wales football team at the World Cup here
READ NEXT:
'Wales don't have more passion than England' and defender says handbrake is off
Wales melt when the heat is on and big guns fail to deliver when it really mattered
The results Wales now need to reach World Cup knockouts after Iran heartbreak
Rob Page tells Wales players they got what they deserved and warns stars could now be dropped
