Football League World
·7 December 2022
Football League World
·7 December 2022
Gareth Bale has been branded the disappointment of the World Cup by Jason Cundy, who has claimed that the Wales superstar should have joined Cardiff City last summer.
Bale had been linked with a move to the Bluebirds but ultimately opted to go stateside to sign for LAFC.
The 33-year-old played in all three of Wales’ group games in Qatar, scoring the team’s only goal from the penalty spot against the USA.
But Cundy believes that his performances failed to live up to expectations, blaming the lack of challenge that MLS provides for him.
Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, the pundit criticised Bale and blamed the move to the US as a contributing factor for his poor performances.
“Bale’s problem is that he ticked over in the US at LAFC,” said Cundy, via Wales Online.
“And you can’t just tick over ahead of a World Cup.
“He would have been better off going to a team like Cardiff or Newcastle, doing something here and having the physical and mental challenge every single week.
“He’s gone out to the US and been playing in a league where he can just coast along.
“Why did he go out there?”
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Wales were eliminated from the competition in the group stages, coming last in Group B, behind Iran, the US, and England.
It was the nation’s first time competing in the tournament in 64 years, but just one goal and one point to their name were not enough to progress to the knockout rounds.
Meanwhile, Cardiff return to Championship action this weekend when Mark Hudson’s side faces Stoke City on 10 December.
The club will be aiming to climb the second division table in the second half of the campaign, with the team currently 19th in the standings.
The Verdict
Bale was one of many disappointing factors about Wales’ World Cup campaign.
While it was an incredible achievement for the team to get there, their performances were ultimately underwhelming.
A move to Cardiff may have better prepared Bale for the tournament, as he did look quite lethargic in his three games.
But there is nothing he or Wales can do about it now, with his career at the highest level now likely all but over following the end of his World Cup.