World Cup qualifying: Wales’ Harry Wilson eyes more history against Belgium

Wilson, who was then at Liverpool, became Wales’ youngest ever male international when he was handed his chance in a 1-1 draw in Belgium in 2013.

Twelve years on, Wilson is a senior figure for Wales and one of their most influential players, but still holds the record as his nation’s youngest senior international.

“At the time I didn’t know [about the record],” Wilson said.

“At the time it was just about coming on for my country. It was something I had always wanted to do, so to do it so young was amazing.

“Then I had a few years away which probably made me even more hungry to make sure I got back in the fold and really start to rack up the caps.

“I didn’t want to just be a one-cap 16-year-old. I wanted to be a mainstay in this team. It took me a few years, but I feel like I am that now.”

Wilson enjoyed another memorable moment in Belgium in 2021, when he applied the finishing touch to a fabulous team move to open the scoring in a World Cup qualifier played behind closed doors because of the Covid pandemic.

Though Wales went on to lose the game 3-1, Wilson cherishes the memory of “one of the better” team goals.

“The team they had out that night was one of their strongest, so to score a team goal like that was amazing,” he added.

“It’s just a shame there were no fans there to see it.”