00:00first. They would have to wait until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to return to football's
00:08greatest stage. Qualification assured via a playoff victory over Ukraine in Cardiff.
00:15Phil, it's an unbelievable feeling. If you could see the scenes in the changing room now,
00:18it's incredible. It was a stressful game. It was. I thought Ukraine were excellent. I really did,
00:25and they didn't surprise me when we watched the Scottish game. We thought they were excellent
00:29and thoroughly deserved the win, and we knew we had to be at our complete best tonight to get the
00:33result, and we had to dig deeper times, but it's an incredible feeling, and I'm proud of the players
00:39and the supporters. I thought from the first minute again, they were magnificent.
00:44This iteration of the Wales side was becoming accustomed to ending hoodoos. In 2016, after 56
00:52years of failure, they qualified for the European Championships for the first time.
00:59And they were rewarded handsomely, with the Euro debutants doing far more than making up the
01:05numbers, advancing to the semifinals in a run that captivated the continent.
01:12For decades, Wales' international sporting reputation had been built on rugby, but now it was the
01:19footballers who returned home to a hero's welcome.
01:25Very special. It's what it means to the whole country. Obviously, it's nice for us to say a little
01:32thank you as well for supporting us and being there with us for the journey and amazing scenes and one
01:38we'll all never forget.
01:41Wales' victories over Slovakia, Russia, Northern Ireland and Belgium proved so profound a movie was
01:49even made of the accomplishment.
01:51I enjoy it because they're told the truth. And you just, you understand, you know, because we were away for
01:59so long. It's not just the highs, it's the lows.
02:03You know, we try to deal with it and everybody looks at Wales now as if we've been here forever,
02:07you know, which we certainly haven't.
02:09We've been in some real low periods in our experience together as a team and as a squad, as a
02:16group. And you see a bit of awe, which I thought was really well, well filmed.
02:21Ian Rush might be the greatest goal scorer in the history of Liverpool FC. And Ryan Giggs might have won
02:28more trophies than any other Manchester United player.
02:31But neither managed to replicate that success with the national side.
02:37The talisman to finally drag Wales over the line was Gareth Bale.
02:44It's never a one-man team. There's 11 men on the pitch for a start. So, no, for us, it's
02:50a squad. It's a squad thing. We're together stronger. It's there for a reason. We don't just say it for
02:56no reason.
02:56And we all work hard as one unit. We defend as one. We attack as one. And, yeah, when we
03:03lose the ball, we all fight back to get it.
03:05So, yeah, it's obviously people write stories. They can write what they want. But we all know that we work
03:14very hard on the training pitch every day. And come on match day, we work even harder.
03:20Bale, along with fellow A-lister Aaron Ramsey, applied the finishing touches to a group of hard-working, often unheralded
03:28footballers who understood how their contributions could make history.
03:34I think this whole team, every single player is just hungry and wanting to play for Wales.
03:42There's no better feeling than representing your country and especially playing these big games and big moments and there's literally
03:49no better feeling.
03:51It is no longer a surprise if Wales qualify for a major tournament.
03:56There is unlikely to be another generation or two suffering the heartbreak of watching the world party without them.
04:03Many, many years ago, a lot of people thought Wales was in England, you know, but now people know we're
04:08our own country.
04:12Never mind rugby. Wales is a proper football nation.
