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52 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 Sport FOOTBALL - EURO 2016 It's not me vs Ronaldo - Bale Hoddle welcomes England talks Gareth Bale insists the Euro 2016 semi-final between Wales and Portugal is not about him and Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo Former England manager Glenn Hoddle says he would welcome talks with the FA about a role with the national side WALES stormed into the last four of a major championship for the first time with a magnificent 3-1 victory over Belgium on Friday night. They will now meet Ronaldo's Portugal in Lyon on Wednesday with a place in the final of Euro 2016 at stake. Much of the focus will be on Bale and Ronaldo - two of the most ex- pensive players in football history - but the Welshman says he does not care about that their private battle and says he is only interested in cre- ating more history for his country. "It's Portugal versus Wales, noth- ing more," said Bale when asked about coming up against Ronaldo at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. "It's in our hands now, but we can't afford to look past the semi-final. "We just have to keep doing what we've been doing and we'll stick to that." Wales' only previous taste of a major tournament, the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, saw them reach the quarter-final stage before losing 1-0 to Brazil and a teenager called Pele. But Chris Coleman's current side eclipsed that achievement by over- turning Radja Nainggolan's thun- derous early strike in Lille with goals from skipper Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes. "We're very proud at what the '58 team did," said Bale. "They had some amazing players. "But we've always spoken that this is our time to shine, and we've defi- nitely done that. "It's going to be an amazing day (semi-final), we've already made history and hopefully we can make more. "We're just enjoying being here, we're enjoying the ride. "It's our time and we look forward to the semi-final." Belgium are ranked second in the world, but Bale's pre-match sugges- tion that Wales are their bogey team now looks even more accurate. Wales are unbeaten in four games against the Red Devils over the last two-and-a-half years, having drawn twice in Brussels and beaten them in Euro qualifying just over a year ago. But, whereas that Bale-inspired 1-0 win in Cardiff was often a backs-to-the-wall exercise, this was a convincing victory which fully deserved and underlined the im- provement made under manager Coleman. "It's just incredible. We knew we had it in us, we obviously had a game plan," said Bale. "We felt we knew Belgium well from previous games and we ex- ecuted the plan amazingly. "We covered every blade of glass and definitely deserved the win. "We've grown in confidence, we've been learning from maybe mistakes we've made before. "We kept the ball very well and we felt very comfortable. "We know they're a very good side with a lot of talented indi- viduals, but we showed what a true team we are." Wales must take on Portu- gal without suspended pair Ben Davies and Aaron Ramsey. Both players picked up their second cautions of the tourna- ment against Belgium and mid- fielder Ramsey, in particular, will be a huge loss to Wales. Ramsey has been responsible for more goals - scoring one and with four assists - than any other player at Euro 2016. James Collins is likely to come in to the centre of defence in Davies' absence with Andy King the favourite to replace Ramsey. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale THE 58-year-old, who managed England between 1996 and 1999, has been tipped by a number of high-profile figures to succeed Roy Hodgson, including former England U21 manager Peter Taylor. FA chief executive Martin Glenn, who has admitted he is "not a football expert", makes up a three-man panel in search of a new boss alongside technical director Dan Ashworth and vice-chairman David Gill - and they have been encouraged to take their time. But Hoddle, who made 58 appearances for England as a player, says he is open to talks about any role the FA might have in mind. "I am flattered that people in football are saying that perhaps I should have another go at it," Hoddle told ITV. "I've not had contact from the FA but if they did come then I would talk to them about whatever role they want. But I can as- sure you there has been no contact. "The bottom line is if they come and want to talk, I'll talk. They might just want some feedback, they might have their guy already. "They are doing the right thing by taking their time. It is a big call for them and for the country." Hoddle took England to only one major tournament - the 1998 World Cup in which they were knocked out in the last-16 by Ar- gentina - and was sacked in 1999. Hoddle's 60 per cent win rate as England manager is bettered only by Sir Alf Ramsey and Fabio Capello. Glenn Hoddle