Remember when Wales showed England how it’s done? Here’s what happened to the heroes of Euro 2016
Euro 2016 will be remembered on these shores for England’s capitulation, Iceland’s clap and, most surprisingly, Wales’ heroics at the tournament.
Chris Coleman’s side were brilliant in that summer’s tournament, finishing top of their group and seeing off Belgium in the quarter-finals to get through to the last four of the tournament, where there was no shame in being finally eliminated to eventual champions Portugal.
It led to parades on the streets of Cardiff and announced Wales’ move up the footballing ladder to the world – but what happened next to the 23 man in that squad?
Wayne Hennessey
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Crystal Palace
Wales Caps: 95
Wales’ undisputed No.1, Hennessey played in all but one of his nation’s matches at Euro 2016. The shot-stopper has been a solid pair of hands for Palace over the years, but is currently playing second fiddle to Vicente Guaita, with just two Premier League appearances to his name this season.
Chris Gunter
Position: Right-back
Club: Charlton Athletic
Wales Caps: 100
Gunter was an ever present for Wales in France, up until their elimination in the last four. The 31-year-old from Newport had been on the books at Reading since 2012, making over 300 appearances for the Royals, before joining Charlton Athletic in October 2020. He also scooped the Welsh Footballer of the Year award in 2017. Gunter recently became the first Welsh international to win a century of caps.
Neil Taylor
Position: Left-back
Club: Aston Villa
Wales Caps: 43
Despite being a left-back Taylor often featured slightly further forward for Wales as Chris Coleman implemented a three-man rearguard, leaving the versatile defender to play a wing-back role.
Although Taylor was a regular for Swansea during their stint in the Premier League, he dropped down a division to join Aston Villa in a swap deal for Jordan Ayew in 2016. He helped guide the club back to the top-flight and was an ever-present before falling out of favour with Dean Smith.
Ben Davies
Position: Left-back
Club: Tottenham
Wales Caps: 58
The energetic full-back has endured an injury-hit season at Spurs, but remains a first-team regular for the national side and an important player when fit and available, though now faces stiff competition from Sergio Reguilón.
James Chester
Position: Centre-back
Club: Stoke City
Wales Caps: 35
Despite Chester’s excellent showings in France for the Dragons, Premier League side West Brom decided to part ways with the centre-back that same summer, allowing him a move to Aston Villa just a year after signing him for £8m.
Chester had been a regular performer for Villa in the Championship, captaining the side to promotion back to the Premier League, but he failed to muster a single top-flight appearance and was sent on loan to Stoke in January 2020 before joining The Potters on a permanent basis.
Ashley Williams
Position: Centre-back
Club: Retired
Wales Caps: 86
The Wales captain. Williams finally got the move fans across England felt he’d deserved for years after his Euro 2016 campaign, securing a £12m transfer to Everton that same summer.
Sadly for Williams he wasn’t able to match his best form at Goodison Park and he soon left for Stoke on loan before signing permanently for Bristol City which proved to be his final club before hanging up his boots.
Joe Allen
Position: Centre-midfield
Club: Stoke City
Wales Caps: 57
Joe Allen showed all of the continent his talents at Euro 2016, being named in the team of the competition. This in turn got him a £13m move from Liverpool to Stoke and in November 2016 he was named on the shortlist for the UEFA Team of the Year.
Unfortunately even the “Welsh Xavi” wasn’t able to prevent the Potters suffering relegation in 2018.
Andy King
Position: Centre-midfield
Club: OH Leuven
Wales Caps: 50
A Leicester player throughout his entire senior career, King enjoyed an amazing 2016 having won the Premier League and then also making the last four at Euro 2016.
King’s bubble has somewhat burst with Leicester moving on to more glittering midfield stars, and the 32-year-old now plies his trade for Belgian outfit OH Leuven after leaving the Foxes following a temporary stay at Championship outfit Huddersfield.
Hal Robson-Kanu
Position: Striker
Club: West Brom
Wales Caps: 46
A free agent when Wales went to Euro 2016, Robson-Kanu put the entire Premier League on notice when he scored a spectacular goal in Wales’ win over Belgium.
The forward eventually settled on a deal with West Brom but Robson-Kanu struggled for regular playing time under Tony Pulis, not making his first start until the end of December in 2016.
He eventually suffered relegation with the club but has been a presence under Sam Allardyce, though he’s yet to bag a Premier League goal this season.
Aaron Ramsey
Position: Midfield
Club: Juventus
Wales Caps: 61
Another Wales player named in the Euro 2016 Team of the Tournament, Ramsey was absolutely fantastic in France with the midfielder providing four assists, the joint most in the competition.
He returned to north London and spent three more years at Arsenal, making just south of 400 appearances for the club before joining Juventus, where he has since found opportunities under Maurizio Sarri and then Andrea Pirlo.
Gareth Bale
Position: Forward/Winger
Club: Tottenham Hotspur (on loan from Real Madrid)
Wales Caps: 90
A scorer of wonderful goals, Bale netted notable free-kicks against England and Slovakia while also converting against Russia to cement himself as Wales’ diamond.
The forward has mirrored that form for Los Blancos over the years, despite persistent injury problems and a lack of faith at times from Zinedine Zidane, helping the Spanish giants to four Champions League trophies, including the 2018 final in Kiev where he bagged a brace and scored that overhead kick goal.
Owain Fon Williams
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Dunfermline
Wales Caps: 1
Williams has only played for Wales once during his career and did not feature at all at Euro 2016 despite being in the squad. The shot-stopper was at Inverness at the time but has since moved on to Hamilton and now Dunfermline.
George Williams
Position: Winger
Club: Grimsby Town
Wales Caps: 7
Despite a promising 2014/15 season, where a teenage Williams made 14 appearances for Fulham in the Championship and impressed for Wales in a string of international friendlies, he has largely failed to kick on and now finds himself in League Two with Grimsby Town.
David Edwards
Position: Centre-midfield
Club: Shrewsbury Town
Wales Caps: 43
A Wolves icon, Edwards made over 300 appearances for the club but left after the likes of Ruben Neves started to enter the frame. The 35-year-old joined Reading in 2017 and now appears for Shrewsbury in League One.
Jazz Richards
Position: Right-back
Club: Haverfordwest County
Wales Caps: 14
Despite playing just once at Euro 2016 Richards got a move back to his home nation from Fulham that same summer, and immediately became embroiled in controversy after allegedly refusing to do the club’s traditional ayatollah gesture during his first match.
He has appeared intermittently for the club over the years, owing partly to injury problems, including just four Premier League appearances for Neil Warnock’s side. He’d leave in July 2020 before turning up at Cymru Premier outfit Haverfordwest earlier this year.
Joe Ledley
Position: Centre-midfield
Club: Newport County
Wales Caps: 77
A Wales stalwart, Ledley did the unimaginable and recovered from a broken leg in just one month to be in place for Euro 2016. He returned to Selhurst Park, but like compatriot Hennessey, he struggled for consistent game time and eventually left for Derby in 2017.
After a solid first season at Pride Park, Ledley appeared just four times under Frank Lampard, and fared even worse for Charlton, with just one appearance before deciding to cut his teeth in the Australian A-League though he’s since returned home with Newport County.
David Cotterill
Position: Winger
Club: Barry Town United
Wales Caps: 24
After appearing at Euro 2016 for Wales Cotterill returned to Birmingham, where he was unquestionably a crowd favourite, but the appointment of Gianfranco Zola in 2016 saw him fall out of favour and the winger eventually left for ATK in the Indian Super League.
He has since returned to his native Wales, turning out for semi-professional club Barry Town United.
Sam Vokes
Position: Striker
Club: Stoke
Wales Caps: 64
Having secured promotion back to the Premier League with Burnley before Euro 2016, Vokes was always in for a good year.
The robust marksman flourished upon his return from France, netting 10 Premier League goals in 2016/17. However, he was unable to replicate that form the following two seasons and left for Stoke in January 2019, where — alongside Allen — he has struggled to rediscover his clinical touch.
James Collins
Position: Centre-back
Club: Retired
Wales Caps: 51
An excellent season for West Ham before Euro 2016 put Collins in good stead heading into the international tournament but, following the competition, the defender struggled to make much more of an impact for the Hammers.
Fleeting appearances followed for the fan favourite before he left the capital in 2018, signing for Ipswich in January 2019 after a calf injury scuppered his return to Aston Villa. He appeared just six times for the Tractor Boys and left to retire.
Jonny Williams
Position: Attacking-midfield
Club: Cardiff City
Wales Caps: 27
Often credited as being one of Wales’ most exciting players on the ball, Williams struggled to implement himself at Palace because of recurring injury issues. He eventually left his boyhood club and made the short journey to Charlton in 2019, where he has slowly been trying to rediscover his best form under Lee Bowyer, though he’s since joined Cardiff City.
Danny Ward
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Leicester City
Wales Caps: 12
The former Liverpool ‘keeper was chosen to start in Wales’ first Euro 2016 match, the win over Slovakia, due to an injury sustained by Hennessey.
Big things were expected of Ward at Anfield after he played a key role in Huddersfield’s promotion to the Premier League during a loan move, but he ultimately left for Leicester in 2018 for £12.5m, though he is yet to supplant Kasper Schmeichel.
David Vaughan
Position: Centre-midfield
Club: Retired
Wales Caps: 42
A solid, reliable workhorse throughout his playing days, Vaughan closed the book on his 19-year career last summer after last strutting his stuff for Notts County.
Simon Church
Position: Striker
Club: Retired
Wales Caps: 38
Simon Church wasn’t the most relied upon Wales player at Euro 2016 but the forward did get a move following the tournament – to Eredivisie side Roda JC Kerkrade.
The strange transfer doesn’t have a happy ending though as Church played just four league matches before leaving for Scunthorpe and then Plymouth. He retired in 2018 at just 29, owing to a hip injury.
