Every Welshman will remember exactly what they did during the magical run of Wales at Euro 2016.
The Dragons shocked everyone when they made it to the semi-finals in France, especially against Belgium and of course better than rivals England.
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Their 3-1 win over Belgium at Euro 2016 is probably the best moment in Welsh football
Better known for its excellence in rugby, the country fell in love with football this summer and is back against the best in Europe five years later
Some of the 2016 class are on the Euro 2020 roster, including Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, but this is largely a new Wales with youngsters like Daniel James, Neco Williams and David Brooks who will become key players in the years to come.
It was one of their new players who was their hero in their tournament opener when Kieffer Moore scored a point against Switzerland with a header for Wales.
At 28, Moore is by no means new to the game, but his “Alan Shearer-like” finish last Saturday shed further light on how far he has come.
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Couldn’t Moore have imagined scoring for Wales in a major tournament five years ago?
When Wales was on their surprise run, the great striker was out of the league with Forest Green Rovers.
He was loaned to Torquay United youth club for a month in November 2016 before moving up the divisions to Ipswich, who was playing in the championship at the time.
He spent most of his time as a Tractor Boy on loan from Rotherham before moving to Barnsley. It was in Yorkshire that Moore made a name for himself by scoring 23 goals in 55 games.
In a good 2018/19 season, Moore was first called up in Wales in May 2019 before making his debut in a friendly against Belarus in September of that year.
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Moore scored 19 goals in 2018/19. At the end of the campaign, a conscription followed in Wales
In between, Moore went to Wigan, but moved to Cardiff a year later after the Latics were relegated to League One.
Despite an eventful club career, Moore continued to impress for Wales, scoring on his competitive debut when he scored against Slovakia in a Euro 2020 qualifier.
Fast forward to last weekend and he became the national hero around 3:30 pm on Saturday when his clever header gave Wales a much-needed point.
Former Welsh star Dean Saunders believes that goal helped Moore move to the Premier League and compares him to Leicester and former England striker Jamie Vardy.
Vardy’s journey from non-league winner to Premier League winner and English star has inspired many players who refuse to give up their dreams
“Kieffer Moore, what is he, 6 feet 4 inches? He won’t be in Cardiff long. I know Mick McCarthy won’t thank me for that, ”Saunders said in a comment on talkSPORT.
“His presence in the box when you have a great striker, which people sometimes forget is not just that they score, and even when they don’t, they prevent defenders from heading the ball out of the box. This will allow you to bring other players into the area and the ball will fall for them.
“I know he’s a Cardiff player and I want Cardiff to do well, but I think Kieffer Moore will end up in the Premier League.
“A little more coaching with him, a little more time, he started in the non-league and when non-league players play higher, like Jamie Vardy, they naturally sprint and work hard.
“You all had to make a living down there on £ 300 or £ 400 a week, and if you don’t try, the manager will throw you away.
“So that’s what he’s got, it’s just the other parts, the finesse and a bit of coaching when he’s turned his back on the goal. I think he’ll play in the Premier League.”
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Can Moore show what he can do against Turkey and Italy?
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