00:01Considering the talent at Wales' disposal in the 1980s
00:04and the failure to capitalise on gigs in the 90s,
00:07it would have been easy to give up on the national side
00:10by the turn of the millennium and concentrate on rugby.
00:16But in Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, the best was yet to come.
00:23Bale made his international debut in 2006, Ramsey two years later.
00:30Together, they would orchestrate the greatest era in Wales' history.
00:36During nine years at Real Madrid, Bale won five Champions League titles,
00:41with his blistering pace and eye for goal making him one of the game's biggest stars.
00:47Before that, he was twice named the PFA Player of the Year in the English Premier League.
00:53But crucially for Wales, he never shirked his international responsibilities.
00:58Even if it put him offside with administrators and fans in Madrid.
01:04During qualification for Euro 2016, Bale scored a group-high seven goals
01:10to send his nation to their first major tournament in 58 years.
01:16He then bagged three more goals at the finals to help his side to the semis.
01:23Another year rose followed four years later, but the World Cup remained stubbornly out of reach.
01:29For 2022 qualification, Wales were drawn in a group with powerhouses Belgium,
01:34meaning a trip to the playoffs was always likely.
01:38But true to form, Bale was unfazed.
01:41In the semi-final playoff with Austria, he scored twice,
01:45setting up one of the biggest matches in his country's history against Ukraine.
01:50We've only ever played in one World Cup, so this is a stepping stone that all of us want to
01:55take
01:56to play on the biggest level.
01:58And, yeah, we have a massive king tomorrow that we're desperate to win and to achieve our goal.
02:05And Bale did achieve his goal,
02:07providing the impetus behind a 1-0 victory that ended generations of heartbreak.
02:13Yeah, Gareth Bale is a big player for Wales,
02:17and big matches he always delivers for us.
02:20And he did against Austria with two goals,
02:23and he's done it tonight again with another free kick.
02:27So when you know you've got somebody with his quality and that in his armour,
02:33then, you know, he always poses a threat.
02:36During this golden era, if Bale didn't pull something out of the bag, Ramsey did.
02:43He made his international debut aged just 17.
02:47By then, already earmarked for greatness after breaking John Toschak's record
02:52for the youngest player in Cardiff City's history.
02:57Technically excellent and with great stamina,
03:00he quickly became one of the Premier League's brightest prospects.
03:05However, his progress stalled when he suffered a horrific leg injury in 2010.
03:13By 2014, his career was back on track,
03:16and he was named Arsenal's Player of the Season.
03:20That year saw the first of three FA Cup triumphs with the Gunners.
03:25He then followed in the footsteps of Ian Rush and John Charles,
03:29signing with Italian giants Juventus.
03:34But like his brother-in-arms, Bale,
03:37Ramsey always prioritised his Welsh roots,
03:40putting on the red shirt with pride,
03:42delivering in crucial moments,
03:44and elevating Wales beyond the status of international football nearly men.
03:50Thanks to these modern heroes,
03:54Wales is once again an enthusiastic football nation.
03:59I'm a presser to throw up inăă°,
03:59that unpredictableбŃco students in 2009.
03:59So can we first come back to us here?
03:59But then in series of reproductive challenges,
03:59we do ÂĄ jednak!
03:59and we can think and ask if you do anything
03:59So please ave everyone put them on the starting horse table,
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