From Bordeaux to Baku, five years later, he resumes the dream of Wales which begins its European journey against Switzerland, tomorrow in Azerbaijan. But despite the unexpected semi-final reached in the last edition of the continental tournament, and the qualification for Euro 2020 undefeated, the national team of Gareth Bale presents itself as underdog in the predictions of Group A, which also includes Italy and Turkey.
"We are not interested or bothered by the judgment of others - Bale's prompt reply -. It is the pitch that speaks, and we know we can do well". Compared to the exploit of five years ago, the two stars of the Dragon national team (in addition to captain Bale, the Juventus player Aaron Ramsey) can count on a promising brood of talented young people, such as Daniel James, Neco Williams, Ethan Ampadu.
To guide them, on the bench, there will be Ryan Giggs, who while remaining (officially) the technical commissioner, since last November has been suspended by the Football Association pending the resolution of the court case that sees him accused of physical violence against the former girlfriend. His deputy Robert Page took his place. "But Ryan remains a friend, I have also heard him these days. He remains the coach and it is right that I compare myself with him. He wished us the best for this European Championship."
Which begins amid the enthusiasm of the Welsh fans: regardless of the current restrictions on international travel, many have still decided to attend the debut on Saturday.
As in France, when he was included in the best team of Euro 2016, Wales' performance will depend a lot on the form of Aaron Ramsey, who has come back from two "very difficult" seasons with Juventus, by his own admission. With a brace against Hungary, the Juventus midfielder has in fact given his country the certainty of the second European in a row. But in recent weeks he has had to resort to his personal staff of physiotherapists and athletic trainers to find the best shape.
After the victory in the Under 17 World Cup (2009) and the final at the Under 21 European Championships two years later, Switzerland hoped to have found a group of players who could climb the ranks of world football. But despite having been able to qualify for the final round of seven of the last eight major international tournaments, the Swiss have never been able to move beyond the second round. For several starters, such as Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka or Xherdan Shaqiri (Liverpool), what is about to begin could be their last chance to make their mark. After two years on the Lazio bench, since 2014 Vladimir Petković has held the role of coach of the rossocrociati. Without setting limits, his most immediate goal is to get through the group stage. "I would like to start immediately with a bang, and win the three points - the words of the coach -. But I have the utmost respect for Wales. We will have to give 120% to beat them. We always aim high, we will not have to take the field with fear. But think of this match as a springboard for the next one. "