Cymru Cards: Meet the Squad

Ahead of the Cymru U19s fixture, hosted here at the Bangor City Stadium, against England U19s, we look at the future stars of Welsh football that make up the squad. However, before we take a look at the team, let’s look at the man at the helm – head coach Chris Gunter.

Having played every minute of Wales’ route to the 2016 Euros semi-finals, and being the first Welshman to reach 100 caps for the men’s national side, Gunter is a figure that will need little introduction in this series. Although his two-decade career speaks for itself, it’s impossible not to acknowledge his incredible journey from the Cardiff City Academy to the Cymru Under-19s hot seat, before he arrives at Bangor City Stadium.

A staple in the Welsh backline for a decade, Gunter’s tenacity, passion, and leadership skills on the pitch earned him a place within the hearts of the Red Wall. Following his retirement from playing, Gunter took up a role in Rob Page’s coaching team, which later saw him offered the role as the Cymru Under-19s Head Coach.

Throughout his playing career, Gunter played for a number of sides, including Cardiff City, where he signed his first professional contract at 16, Tottenham Hotspur, and perhaps most notably Reading, where he notched 208 appearances. Amassing over 500 club appearances across his career, and a further 208 international caps, Gunter’s longevity at the top end of the game has warranted high praise and respect from peers in the sport.

Starting his career at Cardiff City, joining the academy setup at 8 years of age, Gunter would go on to play across the English football pyramid – from the heights of the Premier League with the likes of Tottenham and Reading to the Championship and League One.

His international career started not long after signing his first professional contract at Cardiff City, at the age of 16 years and 299 days old. Chris Gunter became the second youngest player to feature for the Welsh Under-21 side. It would take less than a year for his first-team call-up, a friendly against New Zealand at Wrexham’s Racecourse. He would go on to feature for the first half.

Across his senior international career, Gunter made a name for himself as a reliable and dependable fullback – becoming a regular in the backline for nearly a decade, and becoming Wales’ second-highest capped player in the process. In 2017, the FAW named Chris Gunter Welsh Footballer of the Year, an award Gunter is kept in good company with – having seen the likes of Gareth Bale, Mark Hughes, and Ryan Giggs being awarded the title in years gone by.

With a career of experience behind him, having been involved in six international campaigns with Wales, having plied his trade in the top flight of English football, and being a coach in the senior side in more recent years, Gunter was an obvious choice to lead the future of Welsh international football, and his appointment as Under-19s head coach was something he relished. While speaking to the FAW for their press release, he declared, “I’m really proud to be given the opportunity, and I’m excited to get going in a different role.”

Having worked his way through the ranks of youth international football, starting as a Wales Schoolboy and ending up as the first-team captain, with his name being mentioned alongside greats like Neville Southall, Gunter was the natural choice for taking the helm of the Under-19s development. In his press release by the FAW, as the Under-19s head coach, Gunter made it clear his understanding of the importance of his role and youth football as he explained, “Everybody sees the senior team as the most important, which it is because it’s the real cutting edge of results and qualifications. But underneath that, it’s the responsibility of myself and the other age group coaches, who have been doing really well, to facilitate that.”

Chris Gunter arrives in Bangor next Wednesday, bringing with him a selection of the best of Welsh youth talent at his disposal. It’s set to be an evening of excitement and adrenaline, as we are able to watch the stars of tomorrow take centre stage here at Bangor City Stadium.

As we build up to the match, in just over a week's time, we will be taking a look into Gunter’s squad and highlighting some of his key players. Stay tuned for more cards and meet the rising stars of Welsh football.

Get your tickets for the much anticipated fixture here: https://www.bangorcitystadium.com/event-details-registration/u19s-wales-v-england