Despite not always being at their best on the international stage, Wales has produced some outstanding players. Some of those players have been key to the Dragons’ wins or even qualifying or competing in major tournaments.
However, which players have been the most prolific in the history of the Wales national team?
Gareth Bale (41 goals in 111 appearances for Wales)
The former Tottenham and Real Madrid star is arguably the most talented player Wales has produced in the modern era of the beautiful game.
He was the catalyst for the Dragons’ qualification for Euro 2016, their first international tournament since the 1958 World Cup. Four years later, he also played a key role in his national team qualifying for Euro 2020 and the World Cup in 2022.
In Euro 2016, Bale scored three times as his team made it to the semi-finals. However, Portugal ended their fairytale run and went on to win the trophy.
Not only is Bale his country’s top goalscorer, but he is also their most-capped player of all time, having picked up 111 caps.
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Bale won the Welsh Footballer of the Year on six occasions in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Ian Rush (28 goals in 73 appearances for Wales)
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Rush is regarded as one of the most natural finishers British football has ever produced. Unsurprisingly, Rush is high on our list.
The former Liverpool star made his international debut in 1980 and enjoyed a career that spanned 16 years, 73 appearances, and 28 goals. He was Wales’ top international goalscorer until Bale usurped him in 2018.
Unfortunately for Rush, like most players on our list, he never got to represent his country in a major international tournament.
Rush’s only international award came in 1984 when he won BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year. However, during a glittering career, he also enjoyed a trophy-laden club career with Liverpool, winning the English top-flight title on five occasions and the European Cup twice, among other silverware.
Trevor Ford (23 goals in 38 appearances for Wales)
The former Aston Villa, Sunderland, and PSV Eindhoven striker plied his trade before players played an abundance of international games for their country.
Ford’s record of 23 goals in 38 international appearances from 1946 to 1956 is a highly respectable one. In fact, he has the best goal-to-game ratio of any of the players on our list.
The forward missed the 1958 World Cup because he was serving a suspension. Ford’s only silverware during his long-playing career came with Cardiff City in 1956 when he won the Welsh Cup.
Ivor Allchurch (28 goals in 68 appearances for Wales)
Once dubbed the “Golden Boy of Welsh football”, Allchurch spent the best part of his club career at Swansea Town (now Swansea City), where the inside forward was relatively prolific.
He represented Wales at international level from 1950 until 1966. The highlight of his international career was helping his team qualify for the 1958 World Cup.
Not only did he score in both legs of a play-off match with Israel, but Allchurch also scored in games against Mexico and Hungary at the finals.
Unfortunately for the Dragons, in the quarter-final, they met a Brazil team featuring a prestigious young talent named Pele, and they suffered a 1-0 defeat to exit the competition.
Dean Saunders (22 goals in 75 appearances for Wales)
The much-travelled forward enjoyed an international career from 1986 until 2001, scoring 22 goals in 75 appearances for the Dragons.
He made his debut at the age of 21 as a substitute in a 1-0 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland, a game that was Jack Charlton’s first in charge of the Irish national team.
Although he never played in an international competition for Wales, Saunders famously scored a winning goal against the mighty Brazil in a 1991 friendly encounter in Cardiff.
After his playing days ended, Saunders served as the national team’s assistant manager under John Toshack from June 2007 until September 2010.
Aaron Ramsey (21 goals in 84 appearances for Wales)
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The former Arsenal midfielder made his international debut as an 88th-minute substitute in November 2008 at the age of just 17 in an away 1-0 victory against Denmark. At the time of writing, he is still part of the Welsh national team set-up.
Ramsey was part of the Wales squad that made history in 2016 by qualifying for the European Championships for the first time and making it to the last four of the competition.
He also helped his national team to the last-16 of Euro2020, but the Dragons suffered a 4-0 defeat against Denmark. Once again, he was part of the Wales squad that appeared at World Cup 2022. Unfortunately, they finished bottom of their group.
On an individual basis, Ramsey won the Welsh Young Player of the Year award in 2009 and 2010.
Craig Bellamy (19 goals in 78 appearances for Wales)
Bellamy enjoyed a long international career from 1998 until 2013, scoring 19 goals in 78 appearances for his national team. He made his international debut at 18 as a substitute in a friendly encounter against Jamaica.
Like many players of his generation, Bellamy never featured in a major international tournament.
Jon Candy from Cardiff, Wales, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Many claim that Bellamy could have been an even better player without the frequent injuries that blighted him throughout his career. However, the injuries didn’t stop the forward from being named Welsh Footballer of the Year in 2007.
After retiring from playing, Bellamy became a coach and was appointed head coach of his national team in July 2024.
Robert Earnshaw (16 goals in 58 appearances for Wales)
The diminutive forward moved to Wales from Malawi as a child after being born in Zambia. Despite his birthplace, he chose to represent his adopted country at international level. He stated, ‘It was the country he grew up in and his country’.
Earnshaw represented Wales with distinction, making 58 appearances and scoring 16 goals for the Dragons from 2002 until 2012.
The striker’s performances were recognised in 2004 when he won the Welsh Footballer of the Year award.
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