Bale remains Wales’s talisman but his career has stalled in recent seasons due to injury and the perception at Real Madrid that he prioritises golf

Ryan Giggs will stop Gareth Bale from playing golf during Euro 2020 because he wants the Wales forward to be focused on football. The national team manager is concerned that swinging clubs could lead to a recurrence of one of the muscle injuries that have affected his career.

Bale, who has been criticised during his time at Real Madrid for being more interested in golf than football, arranges rounds during time off when on international duty. His regular golfing partners in the Wales squad are Wayne Hennessey and Aaron Ramsey. Jonathan Ford, the Welsh FA’s chief executive, has been researching training camps, possibly in Azerbaijan, but there will be no golf course in close proximity. “Ryan is clear that while in camp our focus should