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Gareth Bale spent the end of last season and Wales’ Euro 2020 campaign refusing to go into detail on both his club future and suggestions he was poised to quit international football.
But on the eve of a crucial World Cup qualifier with Belarus on Sunday, the 32-year-old put his cards on the table in a passionate press conference.
In it, Bale revealed he never had any plans to retire from Wales duty and opened up on his return to the fold at Real Madrid under their new manager Carlo Ancelotti who has made him feel loved again.
Gareth Bale (above) has revealed he never had any plans to retire from Wales duty
Only Bale and his advisors will know why he stayed quiet this summer because the decision to do so only resulted in more speculation. After spending last season on loan at Tottenham, Bale said talking about his next domestic destination would only cause ‘chaos.’
At the end of the Euros, after Wales crashed out to Denmark, Bale walked off a live interview with BBC Wales when he was asked to confirm or deny rumours of Welsh retirement. Finally, Bale felt ready to open up.
‘Everyone just seems to make up stories when they want. They make up some wild things. I never planned to finish,’ Bale said. ‘I just wanted to concentrate on the Euros and didn’t want to explain myself. I didn’t feel like I needed to. I still don’t feel like I need to.
‘No matter what I said I was going to do, whether I was going to stay, leave, retire or whatever, I think it would have caused a big, annoying and distracting story. For me it was better not to say anything and concentrate on the job in hand. Of course I want to play in a World Cup for Wales, not just for myself but for the country as a whole. I think it would be an incredible experience for the nation. We’re fully focused on trying to do that.’
