It’s been a week of alternative motivational methods after news of Swansea City head chef Chris Watkins’ impact on galvanising the Swans team before their south Wales 2-0 derby win over Cardiff last weekend.
It’s not every day, however, a well-known actor comes in to motivate their national side before a crucial qualifying football match. That is exactly what House of the Dragon star Rhys Ifans has done in the Wales camp this week prior to their European Championship qualifying semi-final play-off match-up with Finland tonight by surprising the players at their Vale of Glamorgan base.
In a post on X – formerly Twitter, released by the Football Association of Wales, it shows 56-year-old Ifans deliver a spine-tingling heartfelt historical speech full of gusto to the squad.
Transfixed on every word coming from the former Twin Town star’s mouth, Wales players such as Connor Roberts and Ben Davies can be seen mesmerised with every breath about the nation’s tumultuous history and how they are ‘representing those of us here and those who came before’.
“No one and nothing have done it to the extent that you have done it and are doing it,” echoed Ifans at one point.
“There have been poets and actors and politicians and rock ‘n’ rollers, but no one and nothing unifies us in the way you do and make us feel safe to show our hopes and dreams. They live in you.
“When you play, you’re not just playing for the living, you’re playing for hundreds of thousands of men who came before me and you. There’s two million people in Wales, you’re playing for 20, 30 million. Ghosts.”
The FAW had previously invited Michael Sheen into the camp in September 2022 ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, where he gave a monumental performance of his ‘Sons of Speed’ speech, which went viral with millions of views.
As his final heartfelt words faded, there was a huge round of applause from the Welsh squad and backroom staff who seemed taken aback and genuinely moved by the powerful speech, so eloquently delivered by one of Wales’ greatest actors.
The BAFTA Award-winning actor was even presented with his own signed shirt, with his name on the back, as a thank you for coming in to speak to the squad.
With Ifans’ words still no doubt ringing in their ears, it is now up to Wales to deliver a fitting performance against Finland. One to match the passion of the speech to send them one step closer to their third European Championships in a row come June.
[Lead image: Football Association of Wales]
