CYMRU FEATURE
Harry Wilson has established himself as an important part of the current Cymru squad, but there was a controversial start to his senior international career as former manager Chris Coleman handed him his first taste of football at that level in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belgium.
Replacing Hal Robson-Kanu in the 87th minute at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels in October 2013, Wilson became Cymru's youngest-ever international at the age of 16 years and 207 days, beating the previous record held by Gareth Bale.
Wilson is still only 24, and while his time at Liverpool was defined by a series of loan moves that took him to Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Derby County, Bournemouth and Cardiff City, a permanent move to Fulham this summer on a five-year contract will allow him to move on from the frustration of being restricted to just a handful of opportunities after coming through the junior and youth ranks of the club he joined back in 2005. “I wouldn’t say it was an easy thing to do,” he told Goal.com following his departure from Anfield. “But it is definitely the right thing for me. I know I’ve made the right decision."
However, Wilson was making headlines long before his Liverpool exit was confirmed, and the merits of making his international debut long before he had even been close to playing senior club football became a subject of debate. "If he fulfils his potential there is another good player on our hands,” said Coleman after his competitive debut. “Now he has had a little taste of it, that cements his future with Wales for the next 10 or 15 years. It wasn't just us wanting Harry Wilson's services. We know that. We spoke with his parents on Friday and they said he wanted to play for Wales which is great. He's been brilliant in training. He is full of enthusiasm and has shown some lovely touches.”
Returning to the Cymru U21 squad to continue his development, Wilson would make his first senior start for Cymru on his 21st birthday in March 2018, and he marked the occasion by scoring in the 6-0 win over China. Wilson hasn't looked back since, and is now closing in on 200 competitive appearances for club and country in a career that appears to still have a lot more to come. But he has remained grounded, and the maturity of his character is evident as he remains supportive of his local club Corwen FC, visiting the club to donate one of his match shirts following the UEFA EURO 2020 finals.
But Wilson's debut against Belgium also made headlines for different reasons. A £50 bet at 2500/1 by his grandfather Peter Edwards that Wilson would represent his country 13 years prior to him coming off the bench earned him £125,000. “When he was about 18 months old he used to chase a ball around on the carpet before he could walk,” Mr Edwards told BBC Wales. “I was panicking because they'd already substituted twice, so I thought he wasn't going to make it. But when he came on I had another glass of wine. (I was) a proud granddad first for sure.”
