Bale and Ramsey led the way as Wales came to prominence at Euro 2016, turning the world's attention by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. Six years later, in 2022, Wales returned to the World Cup stage after 64 years, once again generating global attention.
Wales, known as the Prince of Wales, is an integral part of the United Kingdom. Ethnically, the Welsh consider themselves to be of Celtic descent, the original inhabitants of the British Isles, and regard the English as outsiders.
From the 5th century to 1283 A.D., wars between the Welsh and the English were frequent, breaking out on average every 17 years. As a result of the long division, the territory of Wales continued to erode, and eventually sovereignty fell into the hands of England.In the 13th century, the Welsh established a united principality, but in 1283, King Edward I of England conquered Wales, executed Prince Gruffydd, ruled directly over Wales, and stripped the title of Prince of Wales, which became a fixed title of the Crown Prince of England. The title "Prince of Wales" was taken away from him and became a fixed title of the Crown Prince of England.
Prince William
In the following centuries, the Welsh revolts were suppressed by England. After the Industrial Revolution, England, dominated by England, became a world power. With its power and influence, England tried to reshape the national identity of Wales and Scotland. From the 17th century to the mid-20th century, the Welsh national identity gradually faded, leaving only the concept of place names.
Although this is the second time Wales has participated in the World Cup, its soccer heritage runs deep. Modern soccer originated in the United Kingdom, with England and Scotland playing the recognized first international soccer match in 1872, and in 1876, Wales formed its own soccer association and a Welsh team.
At that time, the rules of soccer varied around the world. In order to promote soccer and facilitate exchanges between countries, the soccer associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland agreed to organize the British Quadrangular Championships, with Wales being one of the first teams to participate in the international competition.
The Four Corners Championship continued until 1984.
Although England and the Soviet Union are both part of the United Kingdom, the teams come from different political entities and represent different FAs. As a result, the British Quadrangular Championship is regarded as the earliest international championship. However, for a long time, only four teams from England and the Soviet Union were able to compete. It was not until the end of the 19th century that teams began to play international matches against other countries.
At the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Wales became the third British team to qualify for the World Cup, following England and Scotland. Northern Ireland also qualified. For the first time, four British teams appeared in the same World Cup framework. Notably, Italy also failed to qualify, losing to Northern Ireland in the play-offs.
The four English teams were depicted as the British flag in the 1958 World Cup publicity.
In fact, Wales was quite lucky to qualify for the World Cup. At the qualifying stage, Asian and African teams were placed in the same group. At the time, Israel, still in the AFC, was boycotted by many Muslim countries. Turkey, Egypt and Sudan refused to play Israel. As a result, Israel qualified for the World Cup without playing a single match.
Wales deserve credit for their World Cup debut. They progressed through the group stage with hosts Sweden, Hungary and Mexico and were eliminated by Pele's Brazil in the quarterfinals. Despite this, Welsh fans were very happy with their World Cup experience as Wales finished seventh in the World Cup, above the other three English teams.
Perhaps the World Cup in Sweden ran out of luck for Wales. Since then, Wales has been accompanied by sadness: in 1982 World Cup qualifying they were squeezed out of the tournament by Czechoslovakia on goal difference; in 1986 World Cup qualifying they won a crucial game only to draw with Scotland; in 1994 World Cup qualifying Wales player Bodin lost a crucial penalty in a do-or-die game against Romania; and in 2018 World Cup qualifying Wales lost to Ireland ......
For historical reasons, big city clubs such as Cardiff City, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport joined the English league a long time ago. In order to expand the league's reach, the Welsh FA encouraged towns and even villages to form teams to play in the professional league. Today, although the level of competition in the Welsh leagues does not match that of England, this initiative has contributed greatly to the popularity of soccer in Wales.
At the same time, Welsh soccer clubs have encouraged Welsh players to train as youths and play soccer with English teams. With the rapid development of the English league, the ability of Welsh players has been greatly improved. Although the Welsh do not like the English, the rapid development of the Premier League has really pushed up the level of Welsh soccer. Bale and other players grew up in this environment.
On the eve of Euro 2016, the Welsh FA developed the Welsh Football Global Vision Plan, which the Welsh FA described as a plan "which could take the development of soccer in Wales from park soccer to the world stage."
In addition to the development of a youth training system, Wales has also placed a strong emphasis on women's football - in 2009, the Welsh FA established the Welsh Women's Premier League. Today, there is a 50% increase in the number of women playing soccer compared to 2016. There are now 8,600 registered female soccer players in Wales.
The Welsh women's soccer team celebrates the World Cup final.
Wales and Ukraine met in the play-offs. At the time, almost everyone was backing Ukraine on social media, and Wales coach Rob Page said, "The impression I got from the public opinion on social media at the time was that we seemed to be against the world."
Even the British media joined in the moral abduction, with the Mail writing in its report, "Do the Welsh players know that it will break Ukrainian hearts if they progress to the World Cup?"
To which the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, responded, "If the click of a mouse or the movement of a mouth can alleviate the suffering of Ukrainians, we will not hesitate to do so. But it would be exciting for all Welsh people if we made it to the World Cup. So there's nothing to say. Doing business."
Wales ultimately did not accept the moral abduction and got their ticket to the World Cup in Qatar. Getting back to the World Cup made their fans happy, but the next series of actions by the British royal family infuriated them.
A week before the start of the World Cup, the England team, presided over by William, Prince of Wales, held an expedition ceremony. During the ceremony, William told the English soldiers, "The whole country is behind you, enjoy the tournament!"
"I don't think there is anything wrong with my statement. Because I have to look after the mood of the English fans. If I give up my support for England, it would obviously be inappropriate to say that I support Wales. But I hope England and Wales will meet in the final."
The Welsh did not want William to change his stance in favor of Wales, but William missed the opportunity to build a good relationship with the Welsh by not knowing the deep significance of the World Cup for them. The Welsh media called William's stance "an oopsie from the British royal family" and wrote: "Considering that William has not yet been formally crowned Prince of Wales, his statement is like an assist to those who don't want him to be the Prince of Wales. "
So in this moment, the Welsh players must keep a wicked spirit. Not surprisingly, this World Cup will be the last for Bale, Ramsey and others. The Welsh also took to social media to say that anyone can lose, but they can't lose to England.
