FootyChatter.com

Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid in 2013 for a then world record fee Wales great Gareth Bale says he would have relished playing under national team boss Craig Bellamy. Bale, who retired from football in 2023 as Wales' all-time leading men's goalscorer and having made 111 appearances, says he thinks Wales have been revitalised since Bellamy took charge in July 2024. The former Real Madrid star believes Wales are "right in the mix" for qualification to the 2026 World Cup staged in USA, Canada and Mexico. North Macedonia, Belgium and Wales are currently separated by one point in group J as they bid for qualification or a play-off berth. "I played with him so it would have been great of course but obviously my time was right to go and I think it was the right time to step aside and not hog the limelight, let the youngsters come through and take the team for the next 10 years, " said Bale. What Wales need to do to reach the World Cup Wales will return to Principality Stadium as Euros loom "The campaign so far has been good, there has been a few nervy times but I think what Craig has done has been great. "He's come in, he's taken over, he's given that passion back to the team and made it very young and fresh, which I think it needed. I think it's good, we're right in the mix where we want to be. " Wales face Belgium in their next qualifier in October and Bale, a five-time Champions League winner, is expecting a mouth-watering occasion in Cardiff. "We have very good teams in the group as well so I think the main thing with a campaign, you can easily be knocked out of a campaign very quickly and the fact that we're still in the mix, we're right there at the top with the other nations, is important, " he said. "It's going to be a big game against Belgium but I'm sure Craig's going to get the players ready and the fans will definitely be there to cheer them on. " Gareth Bale was a seven-time Welsh footballer of the year If things had transpired differently, Bale might have been a regular at the Cardiff City Stadium this season as he was part of a consortium who tried to buy the Bluebirds. That interest was dismissed by Cardiff's owners and Bale insists he is in no rush to commit to a future in or out of football as he enjoys time as a father, as well as doing TV punditry, but says he would "love to explore" club ownership in the future. "I knew football wasn't going to last forever anyway. I enjoy being with family, keeping in football a little bit by doing some stuff on the TV. My kids keep me very busy, " he added. "It's great to now have that time to spend with them and not be away every weekend and missing a lot of them growing up, just being able to go out and be a dad finally. At the moment I'm quite content where I am. " Bale is not ruling out involvement in football in the future. "Like I said, if something was to happen with a football club, I would definitely be interested and would love to explore it, " he added. "I'm still pretty relatively new into retirement so I'm still enjoying that phase of relaxing a bit. " Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Former Liverpool manager Beard dies aged 47 'Norris misses opportunity in chaotic qualifying' 'He deserves to be in our history' - Fernandes inspires Man Utd A respectable man leads a vicious 'firm' of thugs The best and worst foods to eat at sports grounds Zara Mc Dermott explores the dark side of Thailand Chuck Wepner: The real-life Rocky who floored Ali 'Incredible' Kildunne adds swagger to party as England reach World Cup final Ekitike gives Liverpool boss Slot dream striker conundrum Kildunne and Jones shine as England beat France to reach final. Video Kildunne and Jones shine as England beat France to reach final Euros backheel and vineyard dreams - Russo in her own words Superb Canada beat champions New Zealand to reach final. Video Superb Canada beat champions New Zealand to reach final What went wrong for GB's relay squads in Tokyo? How 'choosing the hard path' helped Hunt win superb 200m silver Unwatchable or irresistible? The manager purists love to hate Everyone upping game before semi-final - Botterman. Video Everyone upping game before semi-final - Botterman Premier League ticket black market exposed Ferguson on music, memory and dementia projects 'Slot-age time' - breaking down Liverpool's late success Haaland feats 'unheard of' - how striker broke another record Weekly sports quiz: Who won the T20 Blast mascot race? Eubank opens up on hospital visit and father reunion Is Chiefs Kingdom crumbling after losing start? Mourinho back at Benfica 25 years on - revered but a risk? How a Brit is trying to crack 'hardest position in sport' Vegas nights with 'Rocky' Hatton's Mancunian army 'What a legend! ' Duplantis clears 6. 30m to break world record. Video'What a legend! ' Duplantis clears 6. 30m to break world record Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.