AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth teammates Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore have both expressed their immense pride at being named in the Wales squad for the World Cup finals in Qatar.
The pair were included in a 26-strong squad revealed by manager Robert Page at a special event in his hometown Tylorstown in the Rhondda Valley on Wednesday.
Defender Mepham and striker Moore both played a major role in Wales qualifying for a first World Cup finals in 64 years after finishing as runners-up to Group E winners Belgium.
Mepham started seven of their eight qualifying games and also made a substitute appearance as Wales triumphed 2-1 against Austria in a play-off semi-final in March.
Moore featured in five group games – scoring in a 1-0 win against Estonia and the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Belgium – and started the play-off final victory against Ukraine in June.
The Cherries pair will link up with the squad on Sunday before flying to Qatar on Tuesday to start preparations for group games against USA, Iran and England later this month.
Mepham, capped 33 times by his country, told afcb.co.uk: “It’s the realisation of a lifelong dream, even though I probably wouldn’t have dreamt it because it wouldn’t have been a realistic enough goal to have in my head a few years ago.
“But the way football goes, it changes very quickly and, luckily for me, this season it seems like it’s swung back in my favour and I’ve now got an opportunity to hopefully showcase myself on the biggest stage in football.
“I was delighted when I found out. It’s something that you never want to take for granted and representing your country is something that should never be taken lightly. It’s a massive honour and something I’ll be proud of every time I put on the Wales shirt.
“We’ve come a long way as a nation and qualifying for the biggest tournament in football just shows the direction that Wales as a nation is going in. I’m grateful and really proud to be part of that.”
Moore, who has netted nine goals in 28 games for Wales, told afcb.co.uk: “I’m thrilled, it’s hard to put into words really.
“It’s such a major thing and for this to finally come around and to be a part of it, to make history with Wales, it’s something special.
“It’s massive and everything we’ve strived to achieve. For a nation as small as ours to be on the world’s biggest stage is everything for us.
“For me personally, it’s a culmination of everything I’ve put into football. All the countless hours that people don’t see.
“The World Cup is the pinnacle of football and to be a part of that and to actually be in that moment of playing there is something special. It will be something that will be with me forever.
“It’s going to be such a big experience and having prior experiences such as the Euros under our belt, it’s going to be massively helpful for us. We’re eager to show the world what Wales can do and how successful our nation can be.”
While Mepham and Moore will be on the plane to Qatar, Cherries teammate David Brooks’s chances of joining them were scuppered by a hamstring injury.
Brooks suffered the injury on his playing comeback after being given the all-clear having been diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021.
Mepham added: “You look at the journey Brooksy has been on and realise how strong mentally and emotionally he’s had to be to go through that. You see how positive he is day in, day out.
“In my position, if I’d gone through that, I’d be very different. I don’t think I’d be as emotionally stable and I don’t think I’d be anyway near as mentally strong as he’s been and that’s credit to him.
“I remember me, Junior and Adam Smith meeting him for a coffee when he first found out about his diagnosis and I couldn’t believe how calm and collected he was after finding out.
“It just shows what a strong lad he is and I can’t wait to see him back in a Bournemouth shirt and a Wales shirt. It’s going to be a really good sight for everyone in football to see.”
