Gareth Bale may not have played much at all in the last two years, but the Wales star says that won’t be a problem at the World Cup.
Speaking at a press conference as Wales continue their preparations for their opening match against the U.S. men’s national team on Monday, Bale said that if he has to play every minute in Group B, he’ll be able to do so without any issues.
“I’m fully fit and ready to go,” said the scorer of possibly the most dramatic MLS Cup goal ever. “If I need to play three 90s, I’ll play three 90s.”
It was less than two weeks ago that Bale admitted he told LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo that he was available to play 20-30 minutes if needed, but couldn’t go longer. For Rob Page and Wales, though, it appears that he’s keeping the door to an expanded workload wide open.
Is he really, though?
Bale’s statement comes on the back of an MLS season in which he played 369 competitive minutes after joining in the summer. From the start of the 2021-22 season with Real Madrid through the end of MLS Cup, Bale played just 659 minutes in actual games.
Bale certainly showed what he can do in short bursts, but being ready to play 270 minutes in eight days seems like a major challenge. Later in the same press conference, Bale himself noted the challenge of rolling from club play into the most awkwardly-scheduled World Cup modern soccer has ever known.
“It’s been difficult — mentally more than anything, I guess — for everybody,” said Bale. “The last three or four weeks, it’s been difficult, even hearing stories of players going down and knowing they’re going to miss the World Cup. Speaking to a few of the boys, even for them having to play this weekend was tough mentally, and we’re just praying not to have an injury at all because it’s such a big occasion.”
On the other hand, Bale has consistently said he was going to be ready for the World Cup, and the last thing the soccer world saw him do was win a header over six-foot-six Jack Elliott to save 10-man LAFC in the dying moments of MLS Cup.
Realistically, USMNT fans should expect to see Bale from the start in the opening game in Qatar. For one thing, a group-stage opener is often the greatest indicator of whether you advance or not. Wales, to the same degree as the USMNT, cannot afford to start their Group B slate with a loss. Both teams will have a game against England looming, and while both teams will try to stay optimistic about that one, it’s not likely to be a game that brings three points. The combination of the morale hit from an opening loss and the resulting pressure from home makes USA-Wales arguably the key game for both countries.
As such, it would make sense for Page to pick and choose the times he relies on Bale wisely. Three full 90-minute showings would require Bale to play over 40% of the minutes he’s played in the last 15 months in barely more than one week. That seems like the recipe for a muscle strain, rather than success.
Budgeting out his minutes to maximize their impact — which means prioritizing the USMNT and Iran, if you really want to get into World Cup game theory — is the smart approach, and Wales have been nothing if not intelligent throughout the qualification process. But for the USMNT, that points to having to keep Bale contained from the start, rather than anticipating a late cameo appearance.
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