Defender is set to start country\u2019s first match since 1958 when they face United States
\n RENNES
\nWales centre-back Joe Rodon is far too young to remember the one and only time his country played at a World Cup, 64 years ago.
\nThe 25-year-old defender, on loan at Rennes from Tottenham, is set to start on Monday as Wales appear in the tournament for the first time since 1958 when they face the United States in Doha.
\nRob Page\u2019s side reached the finals with a play-off victory over Ukraine in Cardiff in June.
\n\u201cI think the emotions that were shown that day in Cardiff, especially at home with all the fans, hit every player,\u201d Rodon told AFP. \u201cIt was such a long journey. My parents and all my family were crying after the game so I could see how much it meant to them.\u201d
\nUp until Euro 2016, when they went on to reach the semi-finals, Wales repeatedly tried and failed to replicate the feat achieved by the 1958 side, featuring John Charles and Cliff Jones, of reaching a major tournament.
\nDefender Paul Bodin missed a penalty in a 1994 qualifier against Romania when victory would have sent Wales to the USA, while the 2003 vintage including Ryan Giggs slipped to a European Championship play-off loss to Russia.
\nBut, six years ago, the anguish turned to joy at Euro 2016 in France, as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey helped the country of three million people all the way to the last four.
\nRodon has played alongside Bale for Wales since 2019 and spent a season with the five-time Champions League winner when the former Real Madrid star was on loan at Tottenham.
\n\u201cEveryone knows what he is,\u201d Rodon said from a hospitality box at Rennes\u2019 Roazhon Park. \u201cHe\u2019s been one of the world\u2019s best for years and we\u2019re so delighted to have him as one of ours.
\n\u201cNot just that, he\u2019s funny, he jokes, he kind of takes that pressure off the team.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s a close friend of mine as well. It\u2019s a pleasure to have him. Hopefully we can keep him for a few years.\u201d
\nRodon, who came through Swansea\u2019s academy, has enjoyed a fine start to life at Rennes, with the club sitting third in Ligue 1 after an 11-match unbeaten run in the French top flight.
\nAlongside Bale, Wales defender Ben Davies and \u201chonorary Welshman\u201d Son Heung-min, Rodon created a light-hearted \u201cWelsh mafia\u201d at Spurs with their input on the club\u2019s social media channels.
\n\u201cBen\u2019s one of my best friends in football as well,\u201d Rodon said. \u201cI miss them but it was brilliant to have those two there when I was there. It helped me settle in fast and Sonny as well.
\n\u201cIt was a brilliant experience, and one that I\u2019ll always remember. We\u2019ll see what the future holds.\u201d Rodon has become a mainstay under Page and was an important player in Wales\u2019 journey to the last 16 of Euro 2020, where they played two group games in searing heat in Azerbaijan. Wales have pushed back their training sessions in Qatar to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
\n\u201cThe environment is going to be challenging for us as we\u2019re used to the cold,\u201d Rodon said.
\n\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s a game of football, that\u2019s all we can concentrate and focus on and we\u2019ll take each game as it comes.\u201d
\nFour days after taking on the Americans, Wales face Iran before ending their Group B campaign against closest rivals England.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to think about that (England game) yet,\u201d Rodon said.
\n\u201cEveryone knows they\u2019re our neighbours, we\u2019re next door to each other but I don\u2019t want to talk about us or them, about the game. I just want to focus on the first one.
\n\u201cFor us boys it\u2019s what we want to be doing and what we want to do for the country. We want to be part of these elite tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Defender is set to start country\u2019s first match since 1958 when they face United States RENNES Wales centre-back Joe Rodon is far too young to remember the one and only time his country played at a World Cup, 64 years ago. The 25-year-old defender, on loan at Rennes from Tottenham, is set to start on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-296342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n