Earlier this week, Wales superstar Gareth Bale announced his retirement from professional football with immediate effect. The left-back turned forward won 111 caps for Wales, shining at Euro 2016 and leading the national team at Euro 2020 and then the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 33-year-old Cardiff native scored 41 goals for Wales, making him our men's record goalscorer. He is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, Welsh player of all time.
Calling his time in a Wales shirt "a dream come true", Bale said in a statement: "I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life."
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It's safe to say it's been a glittering career for Wales' talisman, who was once just a young boy from Whitchurch who had a talent for the beautiful game. Numerous footballing figures have called for Bale to be honoured with a statue - including Wales boss Rob Page - or have a landmark named after him.
Petitions were submitted calling for the Prince of Wales Bridge to be renamed in his honour, but sadly these calls were quashed before they could even get off the ground. Whitchurch already has a mural celebrating the legend - so would a sculpture of him be embraced by locals? We spent an afternoon asking people on the village's high street whether they support the idea.
Breched Piette, 71, said she was a fan of Bale but she wondered whether now was the right time to commemorate him. "[I wonder] whether it's a bit soon. I just wonder whether we might want to let things rest a bit. Obviously he's going to be doing other things - perhaps other things for Wales and for football - and perhaps we should wait a few more years before we decide to put up a statue for him."
Neil Davis joked: "A long as it's better than the Ronaldo one, that's the main thing - why not...he's a great sportsman," while Susan Ford, 60, thought it was an "absolutely fabulous idea". She told us: "He's a local boy, he's done so much for Wales."
Dan Cook, 42, also thought the village should "go for it". He said: "I don't see why not. It puts Whitchurch on the map. It's a local hero that we can be proud of. I'm an ex-Whitchurch High School boy myself. I'm a little bit older than Bale unfortunately."
Likewise, sisters Joyce Ward, 63, and Sylvia Williams, 59, loved the idea. Joyce said: "I think it's a fantastic idea. He's been brilliant for Wales, he's a brilliant player, he's a great role model, and I think that most people in Whitchurch - in fact not just Whitchurch but all of Wales - would be delighted."
Sylvia said: "He's obviously extremely popular in the football world and the fact that he comes from this place - to have something in his memory is absolutely wonderful."
Husband and wife Fred Jones, 38, and Nicola Jones, 39, were less gung-ho about the idea. Nicola pointed out that Bale wasn't the only famous face from Whitchurch.
"I'm not much of a sports person, but I think if you're going to celebrate a sports star, I know Whitchurch High was famous for Geraint Thomas and Sam Warburton, who have both done incredible things for their sport and still continue to do incredible things - so I think if you're going to celebrate one, you should maybe celebrate them all," she said.
Meanwhile, Fred thought there were more important causes to celebrate. "It could be nice. I know he's a big football star, but I think there are probably more important people that could be celebrated for the things they do," he said.
"Not to knock Gareth Bale - he's a big athlete - but I think there are probably more important things people could be celebrating than the success of footballers, personally. I think given the last few years, a lot more people have done a lot more interesting work than sport.
"I know people love sport - but whether it's responding to the Covid crisis or various things, general public service I think is probably more meritable than football. Again, not to knock Gareth Bale, but I think there are more important things people care about than football stars, personally."
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