‘Never say that again if you want to be my agent!’: Jonathan Barnett reveals what Gareth Bale once said to him when he suggested he could play for England… as he admits the Real Madrid star is a ‘fanatical Welshman’
- Gareth Bale turned down the possibility of playing for England over Wales
- Bale explained how ‘special’ Wales was to him when he first met his agent
- Jonathan Barnett described the Real Madrid winger as a ‘fanatical Welshman’
- Bale could make his 100th international appearance for Wales on Saturday
Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett has revealed how the Real Madrid winger brutally rejected the idea of playing for England.
Barnett said Bale explained how ‘special’ Wales was to him when they first met and threatened to find another agent if he suggested playing for the Three Lions again.
Barnett also described Bale – who is set to make his 100th international appearance for his country on Saturday – as a ‘fanatical Welshman’.
Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett has revealed how the Real Madrid winger brutally rejected the idea of playing for England when they first met
Speaking to AS about the winger, Barnett said: ‘If he gets to the World Cup with Wales, I think that will be his crowning glory.
‘From the first day I met him and his father, he said to us how special Wales was.
‘When we spoke to him, he had the possibility to play for England. He said, “Never say that again if you want to be my agent!”
‘He is a fanatical Welshman.’
Barnett (above) said Bale explained how ‘special’ Wales’ was to him when they first met
Bale played a pivotal role for Wales during their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016
Bale played a pivotal role for Wales during their Euro 2016 campaign, which ended in a 2-0 semi-final defeat by eventual winners Portugal.
The 32-year-old was also named as the Wales captain for the 2020 European Championships.
Having been knocked out at the round-of-16 stage by Denmark, many believed Bale would retire from international football.
However, he ruled out speculation that he had played his last match for Wales and insisted he was focused on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 32-year-old was also named as the Wales captain for the 2020 European Championships
Bale could make his 100th international appearance for Wales on Saturday against Belarus
As a result, Bale could make his 100th international appearance for Wales on Saturday when they face Belarus in a World Cup qualifier.
The Real Madrid winger would become only the second Welshman to reach the 100-cap milestone after team-mate Chris Gunter, who achieved the feat in March.
Saturday’s fixture would also mark Bale’s return from injury after tearing his hamstring back in September.
Bale made three appearances and scored once for Madrid this season before being sidelined.
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