Gareth Bale has stood by his comments about his Welsh compatriots having more pride and passion than England as he prepares to face the Three Lions on Thursday.
Bale told the press last week that he thought England lacked the passion and belief that Wales do, as the Three Lions always “big themselves up” without backing the talk up.
Following the comments, the 26-year-old shone as he scored Wales’ first ever goal in the European Championships as they beat Slovakia on Saturday, just hours before England drew with Russia.
Jack Wilshere hit back at Bale’s comments this week but the Welshman has reaffirmed them ahead of their feisty clash in Lens later this week.
“It’s good that they bit,” Bale said during a press conference.
“I never said that they didn’t have passion or pride. I just feel in my opinion that we have more and I’m sure they have the opinion that they have more also.
“People obviously like to take things out of context a bit. I’m happy with my comments and I feel we have a massive team spirit – probably the best I have seen in teams, and that’s just my opinion.”
Bale heads into the game against England full of confidence after a superb campaign with Real Madrid, having lifted the Champions League with his teammates for the second time in three seasons and hit 19 goals in 23 La Liga matches.
He scored two hat-tricks for the Spanish giants in the top flight, and lived up to his tag as Wales’ talisman again on Saturday too.
The former Tottenham star will be looking to continue his fine form against the Three Lions in Thursday’s Group B match.
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