Allegiance to one’s country is frequently seen as the highest honour in sports, especially soccer. The passion for donning the national colours goes beyond what is just a game. One person who exemplifies this sentiment is none other than Gareth Bale, who claims representing the country is the ‘proudest thing anyone can do as an athlete.’

The confession came on Netflix’s recently released documentary, “Captains of the World,” where skippers like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Gareth Bale and Simon Kjær discussed how they endeavored to qualify for the highly anticipated World Cup tournament in Qatar. 

Playing for Wales felt like ‘home’ for Gareth Bale 

Unfortunately, Wales has not been fortunate enough to win any major trophies yet, and Gareth Bale’s attempts to lead his nation to glory were never successful. Yet, to be able to don the colours of ‘The Dragons’ was another kind of excitement for Bale.

Speaking in the documentary, he said, “I wouldn’t say I have completely neglected my clubs. The most proudest thing you can do as an athlete, never mind a footballer, is to represent your country. Whenever I meet up with Wales, it just feels like home. All the players—we’ve grown up together and played with each other for a long time.” 

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Bale claimed that while everyone thought he was ‘quiet,’ it was the former Real Madrid star, who often used to joke around and ‘get people going.’ Additionally, the former Tottenham man insisted on what the qualification for the 2022 World Cup meant for Wales, who participated in the tournament after 64 years, having played last in 1958.

“It’s about us as team, trying to do as best we can. My generation, even my parents’ generation, we never had our team play there.” Sadly for Wales, the 2022 campaign ended in the group stages, finishing last in Group B with just a point, even though he was fully concentrated on soccer and not on golf.

Golf was banned for Bale during the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Although Bale has always played soccer with the utmost professionalism, his love of golf was seen negatively. While manager Rob Page respects and acknowledges his captain’s pastime, he didn’t allow him to play the sport when they flew to Qatar. “There’s no golf. We’re out there to do a job,” said Page in an interview. 

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Bale wasn’t alone, as he stated that this limitation extends to other experienced players, indicating a deviation from the norm. Page insisted that he’d allow Bale, Kieffer Moore, or Aaron Ramsey to play ‘nine holes’ if no meeting was scheduled. However, since the schedule for the World Cup was tight, he’d ask them to stick to soccer. 

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