(Source: The Athletic)
In the early morning of June 15, Beijing time, after the last World Cup qualifier play-off, the 2022 Qatar World Cup Round of 32 was released. Among them, Wales defeated Ukraine 1-0 at home on June 6, Beijing time, and entered the World Cup finals again after 64 years.
As early as August 2011, Wales was still a famous European fish belly, fifa ranked 117th, not even the national football team. However, after years of development, Wales has participated in the European Championship for two consecutive years, and now it has locked the ticket to the Qatar World Cup. How did all this happen?
01 Bumpy World Cup journey
In 1876, the Welsh national team was officially established, and although it lost 4-0 to Scotland in Glasgow, it did not prevent Wales from becoming the third oldest national team in the world. It was not until 26 February 1881, nearly five years after its founding, that the team won 1-0 against England in a friendly match, the first victory since the establishment of the team.
After the establishment of the team, Wales mainly participated in the British Home Championship and won 12 championships. It wasn't until 1932 that Wales played their first overseas match against France, which ended up in a 1-1 handshake.
In 1958, Wales beat Belgium in the World Cup qualifier play-offs to reach the World Cup finals for the first time. In the group stage, Wales drew three consecutive draws with hosts Sweden, Hungary and Mexico, and finally reversed Hungary through the extra round to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarter-finals, Wales played Brazil, and the 17-year-old Pele scored his first World Cup goal to help Brazil beat Wales 1-0. Wales' first World Cup trip also came to an end.
However, after the 1958 World Cup, Welsh football began to fall into a long silence. Despite the birth of superstars such as Ian Rush and Giggs, the Welsh national team has always been unable to compete in the competition, and the FIFA ranking once fell to the bottom of 117.
That's where the change happens. In 2010, retired Welsh legend Gary Spide was appointed by the Football Association as head coach of the national team. He began to introduce advanced scientific training concepts and sought reforms within the team. In 2012, Chris Coleman succeeded the suddenly deceased Spieder as the team's new manager. Coleman continued Spide's philosophy and developed a three-centre-back formation and a defensive counter-attack for the team. Welsh football is gradually on track and successfully reached Euro 2016.
(Source: FIFA official Weibo)
At Euro 2016, Welsh beat Slovakia and Russia to advance to the round of 16 as the first place in the group. In the knockout stage, Wales continued their good form, beating Northern Ireland and winning favourite Belgium in succession to meet Portugal in the semi-finals. Although they eventually lost 2-0 to Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, the Red Dragons, who participated in the European Championship for the first time, were enough to shock football.
However, a year later, in the World Preliminary Round, Wales lost unexpectedly in the final round, losing 0-1 at home to Ireland, and the points were overtaken by opponents to fall to the third place in the group, missing the play-off qualification and once again rubbing shoulders with the World Cup.
This time, after 64 years of waiting, Wales once again reached the World Cup. This principality in the southwest of the island of Great Britain has the opportunity to be known to more fans.
02 Rise of Wales
From obscurity, to achieving a historic breakthrough in the European Championship, to reliving the beauty of the World Cup, how did Wales football do it?
Despite the long history of the national team, the Local Football League in Wales was only established in 1992. Therefore, the talent resources of the Welsh national team are mostly dependent on the cultivation of the English league. In the 11-man starting squad for Wales in this World Cup, Bale, Daniel James, Ramsey, Joe Allen, Neko Williams, Ben Davis, Joe Roton and Ampardu have played or are playing in the Premier League. These Premier League-made Welsh internationals, cultivated by higher levels of competition and training, showed a stronger level of competition, helping the team to achieve the final victory in the battle of life and death.
At the same time, the team also dared to use newcomers and "small roles in small clubs". For a long time, the Attitude of the Welsh National Team towards the international has been: "No matter how you perform at the club, as long as you have the heart to play for the country, the door of the national team will always be open to you." "In this World Preliminary Round, wales players are from second- and third-rate clubs, they have not played in the top European leagues, and even the center Kiefer Moore, who scored two goals in the group stage of the World Preliminary Round, also mixed with England's 5th division below many years ago. The diverse composition of players adds a lot of fighting vitality and rich playing experience to the Welsh team.
Not only that, but the Welsh government has always been a strong supporter of the development of football in the country. After participating in Euro 2016, the Welsh Football Association began to gradually allocate funds to top competitions and improve training facilities, with some success. But in the view of Mooney, the chief executive of the Welsh Football Association, if Welsh football is to achieve long-term development, it also needs excellent grassroots facilities to encourage more young people to participate in football. It is reported that after qualifying for the World Cup, the Welsh Football Association will receive at least 8 million pounds (about 10.5 million euros) in prize money and some sponsorship. According to Mooney, the Welsh Football Association will allocate a third of it to help local football clubs and associations improve their grass-roots facilities.
In terms of youth training, Wales has established a complete training and selection system. As children, children who like to play football can participate in community weekend leagues, elementary school football matches, and community football activities. By the age of 10, children with potential can enter the Football Development Centre in Wales and receive the basic skills of professional coaches. Middle school students around the age of 13 can start playing some of the more intense regional or wide-ranging tours. Finally, it enters the selection category of the national team, and the men's and women's teams carry out rigorous tests and screening of suitable talents according to the group of U15, U17, U19, U21 and national first teams. In addition, the Welsh Football Association has established a database of young football players, which facilitates tailor-made training programs for players and provides data support for the selection of talents for the national team.
Of course, the success of Welsh football is inseparable from the support of fans. In Wales, whether it's a League One match or other tier of minor leagues, the audience is filled with fans cheering on the teams they support. In addition, countless fans will wear the iconic red, yellow and green fisherman's hat and follow the Welsh national team to the world. Bale has said that the red wall of fans is the 12th person of the team, and the fans' singing is the biggest encouragement to the players on the field.
(Source: FIFA World Cup official Weibo)
03 How far can the World Cup go?
After reaching the World Cup finals, Wales were group B alongside England, Iran and the United States, with the Red Dragons clearly aiming to qualify from the group.
In the opening match, Wales will face the united States, the biggest competitor in the qualified. In this battle, Wales need to solidify the defense, seize the opportunity to counterattack, and if they can play to Bale's impact advantage, there is hope for victory.
Iran, the weakest opponent in the second-world war group, can take all three points and greatly increase the group's hopes of qualifying. In the final battle of "Big Brother" England, if the Welsh defense can successfully resist England's strong forward line and play a defensive counterattack in a timely manner, it will be possible to save the draw.
Admittedly, for Wales, it is gratifying to be able to replicate the miracle of Euro 2016, but it is enough to be proud to reach the World Cup again.
The Red Dragon on the Island of Britain is waking up...