Bale: Champions League? Super Cup? Euro qualification tops the lot.

Gareth Bale has won the highest accolades in club football but helping Wales qualify for a first major tournament finals since 1958 is the best of the lot.

The Real Madrid star has been the figurehead around which Wales have based their qualification campaign and a return of 7 goals out of a team total of 11 has shown the approach to be a prudent one.

With qualification now secured the world’s most expensive football has had time to reflect on where this achievement ranks among his growing medal collection, and the verdict….

“Top, maybe. It’s right up there to be honest.

“Since a little kid I always used to go and watch Wales and obviously they never quite crossed the line so it was always my dream to play for Wales and to make to a big final and to make history.

“Now we’ve done it we can enjoy it.

That enjoyment will last many months now too as Wales go about plotting their path through France 2016 where they are set to ruffle feathers after seeing off the world’s number 3 side Belgium in qualification.

But while the next few months will see Chris Coleman’s side focus in on the task at hand there is a clear desire to make sure that next summer is not a one-off.

Welsh football has, behind the scenes, quietly gone about its business in developing an ethos an identity of it’s own it order to maximise their impact on the world stage.

Their coach education programme is already heralded as one of the leading curriculums of it’s kind in Europe whilst works is underway to instil the principles of Bale et all throughout the age groups.

And that has not been lost on the men at the top.

Having risen through the ranks themselves the like likes of Aaron Ramsey, Chris Gunter, Neil Taylor, Ben Davies and Joe Ledley, as well as Bale himself, have seen the benefits of a sustained and consistent approach to international football.

And Bale now hopes that the national side’s success can be the catalyst to see Welsh success and tournaments well past Euro 2016.

“It’s a great feeling and hopefully now the nation can grow in football and it will help the whole national set up and grass roots and everything and we can really kick on. That’s our plan.

“Obviously we want to qualify for every tournament and our plan is obviously to qualify now and to qualify for the World Cup and to keep doing it and if we can keep doing that we can keep growing football in Wales and it’ll give us a better chance in the future also.

“It’s an exciting time for Welsh football. I’m sure everyone will enjoy it.”