More than two years have passed since a smiling Gareth Bale, celebrating a great victory with his national team, raised the flag of Wales stamped with the phrase: “Wales, Golf, Madrid. In that order.”
At least in his football career, nothing has changed.
One day after he missed one of the most important club matches in the world — the classic between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Spanish League — because he was “not feeling well”, according to merengue coach Carlo Ancelotti, Bale joined the Welsh national team on Monday to face the match against Austria for the European Repechage to the World Cup.
Wales hopes that Bale will be able to play on Thursday. Of course, because nothing motivates Bale — at some point the most expensive player in history — than to represent his nation.
Especially when the first participation of Wales in a World Cup in 64 years is at stake.
Bale met with his teammates after barely playing 80 minutes with his club since the August 28 match against Real Betis.
Since then, Bale has played twice as many games with Wales (four) as with Real Madrid. He was a substitute on February 18 at the Champions League round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain.
He was not included in the call of 23 Madrid players for the match they lost 4-0 to Barcelona on Sunday, apparently due to back pain.
“It didn't feel good yesterday after training. He tried it this morning and it wasn't available,” Ancelotti said after the match. “He will now join his team, which will decide whether he can play or not.”
Although Bale apparently has no motivation to play for Madrid in his ninth season, possibly his last season, Wales is never lacking.
He reached 100 captain matches with Wales after playing the qualifying match against Belarus in November, the same country against which he scored a hat-trick in September. He is his historic scorer with 36 goals and remains valid as the axis of the selected team.
He will be far from in his best form against Austria, but that probably won't stop coach Robert Page from starting him when they are looking for a win with which the team will advance to face Ukraine or Scotland for a ticket to the Qatar tournament in November and December in June.