27th May, 2014
Champions League hero Gareth Bale will miss Wales’s friendly international away to the Netherlands next week, the Football Association of Wales announced Tuesday.
The former Tottenham Hotspur winger scored Real Madrid’s key second goal in extra-time against city rivals Atletico Madrid in Lisbon last weekend as the Spanish giants won the Champions League final 4-1 and lifted the European Cup for an unprecedented 10th time.
However, injury has now seen him withdraw from the squad Wales manager Chris Coleman will take to Amsterdam.
“Gareth Bale has withdrawn from the Welsh squad to travel to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands in a friendly international next week,” said a FAW statement.
“Bale, who scored for Real in Saturday’s Champions League final win against Atletico, has been troubled with a leg muscle injury for a few weeks.
“His place in the squad will be taken by Fulham’s George Williams,” the FAW added.
While the Netherlands are heading to the forthcoming 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, Wales have not reached the tournament stages of a major international football competition since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.