Welshmen abroad: The seven Welsh players to play football in Germany [20] Bale controversially withdrew due to injury,[21] but Ramsey was joined by four other Welshmen in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad: Swansea City's Joe Allen and Neil Taylor, while Manchester United's Ryan Giggs and Liverpool's Craig Bellamy were included as over-age players, with Giggs being made captain. List of Wales international footballers born outside Wales [16] Speed's first competitive match was the Euro 2012 qualifier at home to England on 26 March 2011, and Speed appointed 20-year-old Aaron Ramsey captain, making him the youngest Wales captain. Wales named their 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 9 November 2022.[57]. Reading vs West Ham United: Women's Super League Preview, Gameweek 14, 2023, Four things we learnt from Chelsea's unconvincing win against Leeds, Southampton 1-0 Leicester: Alcaraz lifts Saints off bottom of the table, Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth: Stunning comeback keeps Gunners top, Chelsea 1-0 Leeds: Fofana fires Chelsea to vital win, Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper 'proud and honoured' to be Reds boss ahead of run-in, Four things we learnt from Wolves' crucial win against Spurs, Cardiff City 2-0 Bristol City: Bluebirds end derby day doom with emphatic victory, Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle United: Post-Match Player Ratings, Dagenham 2-1 York City: Another defeat a Dagger to City hearts, Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle United: Foden stars as City close gap, Pre-Match Analysis: Nottingham Forest v Everton, Wales National Team Player Profiles: Goalkeepers and Defenders. READ MORE: Rival fans are livid that Wrexham AFC will be included in FIFA 22. This is why I cut off the list at this date. This list includes the greatest soccer playersborn in Walesor who played on the Wales national football team. Cardiff City Stadium's capacity was increased to 33,000 in 2014 and all home matches for Euro 2016 qualifying were scheduled at the stadium and Wales subsequently qualified for the finals tournament in France. As Oster's troubles at Sunderland grew, his Welsh international teammate, Carl Robinson, was quietly impressive in our . [34] In the quarter-final against Belgium, Wales went behind to a long-range effort from Radja Nainggolan, but captain Ashley Williams headed an equaliser before Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes confirmed a 31 victory for Wales. England's Players - Appearing for Other National Teams While the Wales men's national teamhas a long and storiedhistory of producing top international talent, fans of Y Dreigiauhave beenwaiting fortheDragons to achieve international glory for a longtime. Wales again came close to qualifying for a major championship only to fall short in the closing stages of their campaign. The crest of the Football Association of Wales features a rampant Welsh Dragon on a white shield. They most recently came the closest they ever have to qualifying for their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup going all the way to the FIFA Women's World Cup UEFA play-off final before falling to a 21 defeat at the fate of an opposition last minute winner in extra time against the Switzerland women's national football team.[3]. Gary Speed gained 85 caps for Wales and managed the side between 2010 and 2011. Wales National Team Player Profiles: Goalkeepers and Defenders We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. ISBN1-872424-11-2. [9] At this point, Wales seemed well placed to progress from their qualifying group 5. However, they lost their next match against Russia in Moscow, 21, after Joe Ledley had briefly drawn them level. [18], Due to London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Great Britain team would qualify as of right of being the host nation. Stadion Poljud, Split. However, FIFA did not want a team to qualify for the World Cup finals without actually playing a match, and so lots were drawn of all the second-placed teams in UEFA. These two Welsh clubs play in the English league system alongside fellow Welsh clubs Newport County, Wrexham and Merthyr Town. The FAW became members of FIFA, world football's governing body, in 1910, but the relationship between FIFA and the British associations was fraught and the British nations withdrew from FIFA in 1928 in a dispute over payments to amateur players. And as Aaron Ramsey, a native Welsh speaker, will be taking the captain's armband in the absence of Gareth Bale for both matches, we decided to take a look at the greatest ever Welsh-speaking players to have represented our beautiful country. Vaughan won a commendable 42 Wales caps and was part of the heroic Euro 2016 squad. On 9 January 2023 Wales captain Gareth Bale retired from club and international football. However, Wales' chances of victory against Brazil were hampered by an injury to John Charles that ruled him out of the match. Here is our selection of the top five. Wales were drawn in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group D with Croatia, Armenia, Turkey and Latvia. Wales Squad & Players - Sky Sports Football The 23-year old has his breakthrough year with Brentford a few seasons ago, before making the step up to the Premier League with theCherries, but his move hasn't been a delight so far, adding a relegation to his CV and losing out in the play-off semi-finals. Category:Wales international footballers - Wikipedia Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. This list may not reflect recent changes. The "Welsh Wizard" Billy Meredith was one of the early stars of Football. The man from Dyffryn Ardudwy had a good career most notably with Leicester City and Norwich City, where he still enjoys legendary status amongst supporters to this day. Draw The attacking full-back can operate on either flank, supplying cover forConnor RobertsandNeco Williams, but his main quality is his vast playing career behind him. Wales National Team Players and coaches from A-Z - worldfootball.net Vote up the best Welsh football players in history. Football - Knowledge: who is the oldest living England international? Williams is also one of the few younger defenders to have already picked up his first goal for the national team, scoring the winning goal against Bulgaria in a 1-0 victory. Ben Davies Ben Davies with Wales team mate Gareth Bale Ben Davies, like Ramsey, is part of a select few who have represented Wales at two major tournaments. The reds will play the Czech Republic on Friday (today) before travelling to Estonia for another European encounter on Monday. [28], In September 2015, England dropped to tenth in the FIFA rankings, making Wales in ninth position the highest-ranked British team for the first time in its history. They have been a member of FIFA since 1946 and a member of UEFA since 1954. Soon, he attracted the attention of the big teams. Ivor Allchurch by @JDPThomas. Who would make it into your top ten Welsh-speaking footballers? Get access to exclusive pre-sale tickets and we'll give you the heads up on events we know you'll enjoy. Chris Gunter was the first player to attain 100 caps for Wales. Last game 0 - 3 Wales v England 2022 FIFA World Cup. Match Centre. 8. A few weeks earlier, Wales achieved another noted victory against then European Champions Czechoslovakia with Nick Deacy and James again scoring. He's made 14 caps so far, starting in the back five formation that the national team has favoured recently. Ben Davies, like Ramsey, is part of a select few who have represented Wales at two major tournaments. [19] Despite this, Welsh players Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale expressed their interest in representing the Great Britain Olympic football team. Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Ryan Giggs scored Wales' goal in the match, becoming the first Welshman to score at the stadium. Consequently, in October 2011, Wales had rapidly risen to 45th in the FIFA rankings. [51], Following their promotion in the previous Nations League campaign, Wales were drawn in Group A4 of the 202223 UEFA Nations League along with Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, with Rob Page still interim manager. Wales played its first competitive match on 25 March 1876 against Scotland in Glasgow, making it the third-oldest international football team in the world. As a result, Wales did not enter the first three FIFA World Cups. West Bromwich Albion - Players from A-Z - worldfootball.net However, most Welsh football clubs play in the Welsh football league system. The winger signed for Schalke from Manchester City in January 2019 for a reported fee of 11 million and made his debut for the club just three days later in a 2-0 loss to Borussia Mnchengladbach. The following season, Hughes was again on target, scoring a wonder goal as Wales thrashed Spain 30 at the Racecourse during qualification for the 1986 World Cup. Goals from Mickey Thomas, Ian Walsh, Leighton James and an own goal by Phil Thompson saw Wales defeat England 41 just four days after England had defeated the then-world champions, Argentina. The 1950s will be remembered as the decade of changing the whole look of football, not just in Britain but also abroad. The following players were not born in Wales and have played at least one game for the senior Wales national football team. The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). For the women's senior team, see, 2022 World Cup, Nations League & Euro 2024. A large police presence was seen outside and within the Queens Hotel in Llandudno were the road was also closed shortly before 5pm tonight, Saturday, March 4. Although he is more a second language speaker, Ramsey regularly conducts interviews in Welsh. Wales had to win their last match at home to Scotland to be guaranteed at least a play-off, but were held to a 11 draw in a match marred by the death of Scotland manager Jock Stein, who collapsed from a heart attack at the end of the match. With the majority of regional players yet to . They lost their first match 20, against Belgium. Wales are preparing to take to the field for two vital matches which could go a long way towards deciding if they'll get to play in international football's most coveted competition next year. Nevertheless, he has been involved with the Welsh national youth team's since the age of 17 and made his senior debut againstFinlandin 2020, where he kept a clean sheet and won the game 1-0. . Eni Aluko and Jamie Carragher to host Women's Football Awards The top two teams were to qualify for the finals in Brazil, but Wales finished bottom of the group. Cymru return to action at Cardiff City Stadium on 28 March. [8] Another notable achievement for Wales however came in the 1980 British Home Championship, as Wales comprehensively defeated England at the Racecourse Ground. Despite his initial struggles he went on to score over 50 goals in the top tiers of English football and made 14 appearances for his country, scoring three times. England won the game 30, hence Wales finished bottom of Group B and were eliminated from the tournament. A 'designated sporting event' generally means any association football match, whether national or international. Draw 18-year-old Ian Rush has scored 14 goals in 34 games in two seasons. Two of Wales' finest players: Ryan . Making 43 League appearances, he linked up with Nicholas again at Newport County in May 2003, then helped Grange Quins win promotion in 2004-05. Football's lawmakers have stood by their decision not to introduce a trial of temporary concussion substitutes despite pressure from the Premier League to do so.. At a meeting of the International . Wales captain Sophie Ingle extends Chelsea contract ahead of Euro 2024 campaign Rob Page, Gemma Grainger and the special relationship at the heart of Welsh football Story Saved You can find. The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 734 total. IFAB will encourage referees to follow the World Cup approach He is the manager of the Wales national team and a co-owner of Salford City. John Mahoney at Farrar Road during his time as Bangor City manager. The team's performance was disappointing, finishing fifth in the group with expected defeat at home to Germany yet an unexpected draw away, a loss away and a goalless draw at home to the Czech Republic, a loss away and 22 draw at home to the Republic of Ireland, a 30 home win and uninspiring 21 away win against minnows San Marino, a 31 home win and 31 away defeat against Cyprus, and a spectacularly mixed performance against Slovakia, losing 51 at home and winning 52 away. ", "The player behind Dafydd Iwan's iconic Yma o Hyd rendition revealed", "Gareth Bale leads brilliant rendition of Yma o Hyd after Wales beat Ukraine", "World Cup qualification 'greatest result' in Welsh football history, says Gareth Bale", "Nations League: England and Wales get tough group-stage draw", "Ryan Giggs: Ex-Manchester United winger resigns as Wales manager", "Robert Page: Wales manager signs new contract before 2022 World Cup in Qatar", https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64215777, "World Cup 2022: Wales name injury doubt Joe Allen in 26-man squad", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wales_national_football_team&oldid=1142461612, Red Dragons: The Story of Welsh Football by Phil Stead (, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 14:28. Here's a look at some of the all-time Cymru greats who boast a Welsh Cup winners' medal on their impressive list of honours in the game. LM: Ivor Allchurch. The following is a list of match results from the previous 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. He is widely regarded as, Ian James Rush, (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. Robert Lewandowski is our winner for the second year running with Mohamed Salah moving into the top three for the first time. The 10 best Welsh football players of all-time - Atletifo It's a summer that changed the outlook of football in Wales, and the team - consisting of now-household names like Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen - were paraded through the streets of Cardiff in an open-top bus. The Guardian picks the best prospect from each club born between 1 September 2000 and 31 August 2001, an age band known as first . Llywodraeth Cymru Rhyngwladol | Welsh Government International in Moses Lake, WA Expand search. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. One year later, Wales played a match outside the United Kingdom for the first time when they travelled to Paris to play France national football team in a match drawn 11. Born in Neath, he was educated at Ysgol. famous Welsh football players ever. Get access to exclusive pre-sale tickets and we'll give you the heads up on events we know you'll enjoy. Some of the best Welsh soccer players include national legends like Ryan Giggs, Ian Rush, Ashley Williams, Ivor Allchurch, and Craig Bellamy. 09.10.16 - Wales v Georgia - Fifa World Clup Qualifier - David Cotterill of Wales. The captain, Billy Meredith is holding the ball. This was followed by a 21 home win against Montenegro, a 10 away loss to England, a 20 home win against Switzerland and a 10 away win against Bulgaria. Who Is The Best Player In La Liga Right Now? 1.40. The Wales national women's football team (Welsh: Tm pl-droed merched cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in international football. With a number of younger full-backs currently with the Welsh, Gunter could be the one they look to for advice or guidance heading into a major tournament. Wales' all-time squad of legends features former Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham stars. The Wales national football team (Welsh: Tm pl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in international football. Rewriting Welsh footballing history Bale, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, is one of the finest footballers ever to represent Wales and played a record 111 games for his. Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan. [52], On 20 June 2022, Ryan Giggs resigned as Wales manager due to his upcoming court case. After starting out at his boyhood club Cardiff City. Wales national football team statistics and records: appearances Wales Home Honours Players Matches Head to head All-time stats All time Appearances Top scorers Hat tricks Youngest players Oldest players Scores Venues Attendances Wales national football team statistics and records: appearances Competitions: Most Wales appearances A friendly against Spain was played at the Millennium Stadium on 11 October 2018, which was Wales' first match at the stadium in just over seven-and-a-half years, finishing in a 41 defeat. Four teams will look to book their place in the 134th JD Welsh Cup final. History of Welsh International Football In the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Wales team managed by Mike England came extremely close to qualification; a 30 defeat against the Soviet Union in their final match meant they missed out on goal difference, but the real damage had been done by their failure to beat Iceland in their last home match, the match eventually finishing 22 after several hold-ups due to floodlight failures. VAVEL is the go-to source to consult for its wide coverage of sport around the world. Saturday 11 March 2023 / 14:30 / Essity Stadium. Wales also only narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1984 UEFA European Championship. [39], After nearly two months of managerial vacancy, former Wales national player Ryan Giggs was named Wales' new manager on 19 June 2018. With the opening of the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009, the FAW chose to stage most home friendlies there, with other friendly matches played at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea (now known as the Swansea.com Stadium) and the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Lists that rank the best players, positions, and more from the world's most popular sport. He played his entire, Gary Andrew Speed, MBE (8 September 1969 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. Under Mark Hughes, Wales came close to qualifying for a place at Euro 2004 in Portugal, being narrowly defeated by Russia in the play-offs. In Flint there are a host of names including W Williams 1912, E Jones 1912, F Richards, 1913, A Jones also in 1913, A Davies 1928, A Hughes 1936, G Davies 1937, R G Roberts 1951, G E Williams 1951 . British TV exports rise to 1.5bn a year as Scandinavia starts buying Wales captain Gareth Bale announces retirement from football [36] Wales were welcomed back home on 8 July with an open-top bus parade around Cardiff, starting at Cardiff Castle and going past the Millennium Stadium before finishing at the Cardiff City Stadium. Tickets are now on sale from as little as 5. On their Euro debut, on 11 June against Slovakia at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Gareth Bale scored direct from a free-kick to give Wales a 10 lead, and Hal Robson-Kanu scored the winner in a 21 victory that put them top of the group. Scottish footballer and Newcastle United winger Ryan Fraser began his career with Aberdeen at age 16. The Football Association of Wales makes enthusiastic use of Welsh in its operations and materials. However, their path to qualification was unusual. [48] Yma o Hyd was again sang before the match and Gareth Bale, the Wales captain, also led the team in singing along with Iwan after the final whistle. They kept five consecutive clean sheets on the way to an unbeaten record in the competition, winning five games and drawing one, despite Giggs not being available for the last two games due to legal troubles. Born and raised in the predominantly Welsh-speaking Amman Valley, later in life Davies settled in the north of the country and owned a craft shop in Mold called Siop Y Siswrn. [46], The song Yma o Hyd was sung live by Dafydd Iwan before kick off of the penultimate game of the FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Austria with Wales winning 2-1. Following a disappointing start to 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 6, Hughes left his role with the national team to take over as manager of English Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers. 8. The Welsh Semi-Pro international helped them win the League of Wales title five times in six seasons, also the Welsh Cup twice, before reuniting with Peter Nicholas at Swansea in October 2001. Ramsey in action against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico during Euro 2020, Wyn Davies in action for Newcastle United against Liverpool, November 1966, Ben Davies with Wales team mate Gareth Bale, Former player and now commentator Iwan Roberts, Malcolm Allen, commentator on S4C's Sgorio programme, Welsh goalkeeper Dai Davies in action against Scotland in May 1979, Sweden's Sebastian Larsson (left) and Wales' David Vaughan battle for the ball during the International Friendly match at the Friends Arena, Stockholm, Celtic legend John Hartson with Neil Lennon. 10 Best Welsh Football (Soccer) Players of All times The Greatest Welsh Football Players There are also current Welsh football stars such asGareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, and Chris Gunter, who are making an impact across the globe. Carl Robinson. Huddersfield Town transfers. Starting out at Swansea City, Allen joined Liverpool FC along with Brendan Rodgers and played nearly 100 games for the Merseyside giants between 2012 and 2016. Background: Having had his breakthrough season with Huddersfield Town in their rare promotion season, Ward is yet to start in the Premier League withLeicester City. Scotland took the spoils winning 20. Billy Meredith. The Best Soccer Players From Wales - Ranker This helped to give Wales a share of the Home Championship trophy for the year, goal difference not at that stage being used to determine an outright winner. He made his debut for the Swans in 2012 and became a regular starter at his boyhood club in 2013. However, despite defeating Scotland 10 at Hampden Park, it was again Iceland that wrecked Welsh hopes by defeating Wales 10 in Reykjavk, and for the second World Cup in a row, Wales missed out on goal difference. [5] Wales were champions on 12 occasions, winning outright seven times whilst sharing the title five times. However, Toshack resigned after just one match (a 31 defeat to Norway) citing problems with the FAW as his reason for leaving, although he was sure to have been shocked at being booed off the pitch at Ninian Park by the Welsh fans still reeling from the dismissal of Yorath. Wales finished third in their group due to a 10 loss to the Republic of Ireland on 9 October and failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup play-offs. Ryan Giggs by @Crabbers89. Hennessey won his first cap as a twenty year old in an end-of-season friendly against New Zealand replacing Danny Coyne, and soon replaced him in the team for good. Arriving at Cardiff City Stadium. He made his competitive debut for Wales in 2019, playing the full ninety minutes in a 2-1 win overAzerbaijan. They also did not replicate their success in qualifying for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, although they did achieve a highly creditable draw against then world champions England in the 1970 British Home Championship, weeks before England went to defend their title in Mexico 1970 FIFA World Cup.