Wales fans insist Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey should retire after World Cup exit

Wales fans are adamant that Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey should retire from international football following their performance against England on Tuesday night.

Wales crashed out of the 2022 World Cup following a dismal 3-0 defeat to England at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar.  

Bale was taken off at half-time with a suspected injury, while Ramsey struggled to compete with England’s star midfielders. 

Wales crashed out of the 2022 World Cup following a dismal 3-0 defeat to England (above)

Fans took to social media after the game to thank Bale and Ramsey for their contribution to Wales over the years, but insist it was time for them to retire. 

They said the Welsh duo looked ‘past their prime’ during Tuesday’s Group B fixture at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar.

One supporter wrote: ‘Thank you for taking us to a World Cup but I’m afraid you got it all wrong. Tactically we were poor and other than changing the tactics at half time against USA we had no plan B. Time to give the youngsters a chance because Ramsey and Bale we poor and clearly got found out.’

Another added: ‘We need to thank Rob Page, then release him, Ramsey, Bale, Allen, please step aside and coach our youngsters through. New start, new manager, rebuild straight away. Thanks to all the above, Gary Speed would be proud.’ 

Others took a more aggressive approach, writing: ‘Bale and Ramsey are a waste of 2 jerseys, and he’s [Rob Page] too scared to drop them!’.

Another added: ‘Too much sentiment. Too much of the ‘happy to be there’ mentality. A young exciting squad played with no identity or clear tactics. 

‘Page has always been far too reliant on an over the hill bale or Ramsey producing a moment. Need a complete reset now to take us forward.’

One fan said: ‘Sign of the times unfortunately, bale and Ramsey are far past their prime and the team needs a coherent style of play to get behind. Needs a solid foundation, but hey, we got to the world cup at least!’. 

While another wrote: ‘If you’re Bale or Ramsey I think you should be embarrassed about your contribution in the last 3 games. Just haven’t turned up at all.’

Others agreed by writing: ‘I think one of the main reasons we didn’t succeed was they wanted protected Bale and Ramsey.’

One fan went on to say: ‘Too much sentiment. Too much of the ‘happy to be there’ mentality. A young exciting squad played with no identity or clear tactics. Page has always been far too reliant on an over the hill bale or Ramsey producing a moment. Need a complete reset now to take us forward.’

Another wrote: I think the time has come for the old guard to retire. Bale, Ramsey and Co should call it a day and let’s get some young lads coming through. It’s been a great 7 years or so.’

While one added: ‘Wales cant continue with Bale and Ramsey, players who don’t play regularly or stay fit for more than a few games at a time for their clubs. We have to move on. Relying on one free kick a game to snatch a result isn’t a plan.’

Before one supporter said: ‘We were poor throughout the competition, I’m very disappointed. Bale and Ramsey should both retire.’ 

 Bale (right) was taken off at half-time with a suspected injury on Tuesday evening

 Ramsey struggled to compete with England’s star midfielders during the Group B game

Speaking directly after the game, Bale addressed retirement rumours. He told the BBC: ‘I’ll keep going as long as I can and as long as I’m wanted.

‘We have a qualifying game starting in March and now a few months away from international football.’

He added: ‘Everyone is disappointed but all proud of getting here and doing something no other Wales team has done and how far we have come.

‘Football is difficult, teams go through good and bad runs and we didn’t live up to our expectations. Going forward we have to look how far we have come.

‘Two years ago we would have pinched ourselves. We all worked really hard to get here but walk out with our heads held high.’