Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey may have donned the colours of Tottenham and Arsenal on the domestic circuit, but their connection on the international stage with Wales at Euro 2020 has been a standout.
Their performances have impressed, Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira, who claimed that they have led their country ‘fantastically well’ out on the pitch, as he told ITV on Saturday afternoon.
Both players were magnificent for their country on Wednesday when Ramsey, who has now been linked with a return to Arsenal, and Tottenham fan favourite, Bale, produced a moment of magic to help Wales beat Turkey 2-0 on Wednesday.
Conor Roberts may have sealed the points in stoppage-time, but before that, it was Bale’s quite brilliant pin-point pass in the first half, which found a surging Ramsey, who was free as a bird inside Turkey’s penalty area to slot home.
And later on this afternoon, the Welsh take on the in-form Italian’s, who have two wins from two, and are on course to top their group.
Ahead of that match, Vieira shared his thoughts on Bale and Ramsey and their chances against Roberto Mancini’s men.
“They have to lead,” said Vieira. “And they did it fantastically well. They have to lead by example. They have to take responsibility and raise their game.
“And they need to lift the rest of the team. I think they have done it brilliantly, so they (Wales) still have a chance and it will be a really interesting game against Italy.
“They have the belief they can play well and score goals. And they can win that game.”
Bale has perhaps played his last game on the English circuit, with his current loan deal with Spurs due to expire this month.
With Carlo Ancelotti returning to Real Madrid, it may have opened the door for him to reclaim his place at the Bernabeu.
As for Ramsey, he is finding game time tough to come by at Juventus and it has resulted in rumours circulating that Arsenal would like him to return to North London, as reported by Calcio Mercato.
One Welshman already returned to North London last summer and his fellow countryman might just follow suit when the Euros are over.
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