When Wales face Belgium tonight, it will be the latest chapter in an eventful recent rivalry between the nations. It will also be an opportunity for Swansea City supporters to remind themselves of one manager’s influence on both their club and country, as Jack Hammett outlines.
It’s nearly five years since Wales last faced Belgium. If you can’t recall the match, it was the greatest night in Welsh football history.
A few weeks later, a familiar face took over the Belgium managerial job – and is now in charge of the number one side in the world.
This evening he will face the country where his managerial career first started and in some ways his first years on a touchline were partly responsible for that great night almost half a decade ago.
When Roberto Martínez was appointed Swansea City manager in February of 2007, football in Wales looked a lot different.
The Swans resided in League One and the idea of Wales knocking out the favourites of an international tournament to reach the semi-finals would be far fetched even for the biggest of dreamers.
John Toshack was the manager then and in that year not one Swansea City player was called up to the Wales side.
In contrast, over a quarter of the outfield players in the Euro 2016 squad had played for Swansea City, either under Martínez, or, after his departure.
They were coached every day in the same style that saw the Swans enjoy promotions up the leagues, a first major trophy and playing in Europe before finishing eighth in the Premier League.
This club influence reached its climax the summer before the Euros in France. The captain of that squad and goalscorer on that famous night, Ashley Williams, recalls the ambition and foresight Martínez had and its shaping of the skipper’s destiny.
“I remember Roberto telling me on the first day that I joined on loan that you’ll be captain of the club and we’ll be in the Premier League.”
Although Martínez wasn’t in the dugout when Swansea finally made it to the Premier League, his impact on the club was huge.
He brought with him a style and ethos similar to fellow Catalan manager Pep Guardiola – shaping the way Swansea would continue to play football until their final few years fighting relegation from the Premier League.
Joining Williams from the Swans in the Wales squad that summer were Neil Taylor and Jazz Richards. Former Swan David Cotterill was included and academy graduates Joe Allen and Ben Davies. Both had left the Swans for bigger Premier League riches at Liverpool and Spurs.
Reflecting on his time under Martínez, Joe Allen said, “The stars kind of aligned for me. I couldn’t have asked for much more.
“In all honestly when Martínez took over, it was like, ‘this is going to suit me down to the ground.’
“It was perfect for me to develop as a player and get the best out of me.”
Four of the six featured heavily throughout that tournament and each contributed massively to the success Chris Coleman’s side achieved.
Allen was included alongside Aaron Ramsey in the team of the tournament that summer; awarded for Allen’s tireless workrate, ability to control the game and brilliance in the transition from defence to attack – all characteristics present when he played under Martínez all those years ago.
Williams, Davies and Taylor were three-fifths of Coleman’s solid back five. Each player had their iconic moment.
Davies made a crucial block against Slovakia in the first few minutes of the opening game. His importance to the team that summer was only truly recognised when he was suspended against eventual winners Portugal in the semi-finals.
Wales fans could be forgiven for still asking themselves, “what if?”
Neil Taylor scored on that wonderful summer’s night against Russia that had Welsh fans scrambling to make plans for the round-of-16 tie against Northern Ireland.
That subsequent tie best summed up Williams. Having given his all, the captain refused to come off despite being in serious pain after injuring his shoulder. He was desperate to see the job through.
In the next game, Williams scored the vital equaliser against Belgium just before half-time.
It sparked that iconic image of him sprinting towards the Welsh dugout, where the rest of the squad and backroom staff waited to engulf him and celebrate.
Wales fans were disappointed not to see similar images last summer after the European Championships had to be postponed.
This summer, though, the tournament will finally go ahead and the Wales squad looks likely to boast similar numbers of Swansea players.
Davies was the only one of those six present in the last international squad. However, a new generation of Swansea graduates brought up on the Martínez style of football, have joined him.
Connor Roberts and Ben Cabango – both still at the Swans – played alongside Joe Rodon, Daniel James and Josh Sheehan. All could yet feature in the final Euros squad in the summer.
Before the summer, though, Wales have World Cup qualifiers to deal with and will tonight test themselves against the number one ranked side in the world, led by the man who can take a small amount of credit for Wales’ greatest football achievement.
