FIFA Men's World Cup

Top 50 players at 2022 World Cup, No. 42: Gareth Bale

Published Oct. 10, 2022 3:11 a.m. ET

FOX Sports soccer analyst and former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden is counting down the 50 best players participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Up next is …

Gareth Bale

Country: Wales
Rank: 42
Rank in 2018: N/A
Position: Attacker
Age: 33

Gareth Bale has accomplished just about everything a player can at the club level, including five Champions League titles and three domestic titles with Real Madrid. His most recent accomplishment was winning the Supporters' Shield with LAFC in his first season in MLS.

Internationally, though, Bale hasn't experienced much success. This year, that could change for him and Wales.

"When you think about Wales standing there for Gareth Bale, his dream as a kid to represent his nation in a World Cup," Holden said. "They do it for the first time since 1958, and they land themselves in a group against England, Iran and the United States. The LAFC man will be very familiar with American soccer by end of his time in MLS, but will we see him and Wales make some noise in Qatar?"