Gareth Bale denies England clash at 2022 Qatar World Cup will be his last for Wales before retirement
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Updated 28/11/2022 at 17:23 GMT
Wales finish their 2022 World Cup Group B campaign against England on Tuesday evening needing to win to have a chance of qualifying for the last 16. Captain Gareth Bale is set to make his 111th international appearance and says it will not be his last for Wales. Manager Rob Page has suggested there could be changes after Wales lost against Iran last time out in Qatar.
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Gareth Bale has denied that Wales’ upcoming clash with England at the 2022 World Cup will be his last for his country.
Bale, 33, has made 110 appearances for Wales and is captaining the team in Qatar.
But Wales face a big ask to qualify for the last 16, needing at least a win against England to have a chance.
Asked if the Group B clash will be his last game for Wales, Bale simply responded: “No.”
It is not clear if he meant he won’t be retiring from international duty or he expects Wales to qualify.
Wales are up against it after losing 2-0 last time out against Iran.
If they beat England by at least four goals they will qualify regardless of the result in the other group game between USA and Iran. If they beat England by fewer than four goals they need USA and Iran to draw to progress, and anything other than a win would see them head home from their first World Cup in 64 years.
"We’re a nation and we work hard for each other," added Bale.
"We need to deliver as a team, it’s not one person that needs to do anything. We’ve been working hard in the last couple of days.
"Of course we’d have loved everything to be winning and doing a lot better but the reality is, football is hard. If it was that easy we’d be favourites to win the World Cup. We need to stick together, keep our spirits high and we’ll give 100% tomorrow like we always do."
Manager Rob Page has hinted that there could be changes against England, although talisman Bale is likely to keep his place despite being criticised - along with Aaron Ramsey - for an ineffective display against Iran.
“We’ve got a squad of players that we can pick from,” Page said.
“I will pick a team that I think will go out and get us a win.
“Yes, there’s an opportunity to give others experience. Without giving my team away, we will no doubt be needing to use more than the usual starting XI.
“It’s a big ask for anyone in this environment to play again after four games. I will pick a team to win tomorrow whether that is with or without [Bale and Aaron Ramsey].”
Page also said he expected better from his side in Qatar.
“We’ve worked so hard to get into this situation. My disappointment and frustration for the players is that we’ve worked so hard to get to this situation and then shown nowhere near the levels that have got us to this World Cup. That’s what really disappoints me.
“We’ve picked them up, addressed it and we’ve got to draw a line under the last performance. We’ve got to go and give our supporters, irrespective of any other result or whether we go home or through, we have to give a performance our supporters are proud of.
“At the minute, we are all disappointed with the performances but we want to react positively and I will pick a positive team ready to give everything for the cause.”
Wales have not beaten England since 1984 and have lost their last six games against their neighbours.
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“Playing England adds a bit of spice. But we don’t look back at stats for motivation,” added Page.
“We’re all hurting as a group. That’s the motivation we need.
“I think every team is beatable. England have got some top-class players but, of course, they are beatable.”
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