Wales manager Rob Page has joked that he'd personally build a statue of Gareth Bale if the outgoing Real Madrid superstar fires his team to the World Cup in Qatar, and says the skipper's contribution to his country goes well beyond his exploits on the pitch.
Bale has played just 20 minutes of football since netting a brace against Austria in the World Cup play-off semi-finals, but is likely to remain a key part of his team's attempts to reach their first finals since 1958.
Wales will take on either Scotland or Ukraine at Cardiff City Stadium on June 5 for a place in the tournament later this year.
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Bale's preparations for this latest camp come against a backdrop of fervent speculation over his future. The 32-year-old is set to bring the curtain down on his time at Real Madrid, after coming to the end of his current contract, and speculation over his next move is continuing to build momentum.
He may yet be given the opportunity for one last hurrah for Real, with boss Carlo Ancelotti confirming Bale will be fit for the upcoming Champions League final with Liverpool in Paris.
But Bale's relationship with Los Blancos has clearly already frayed beyond repair over the last few months. Indeed, one Spanish publication labelled the former Tottenham star a 'parasite' on the eve of that clash with the Austrians.
It was the latest example of what Page feels has been a string of unfair criticism aimed at his captain, whom he says deserves more respect for his achievements in Spain.
"If Gareth is asked to play, he will play and give his best like he does for us," he said. "The criticism he has received is unjust. It's been unfair what he has had to go through.
"He's had to show an enormous strength of character and mental strength.
"Think about what he had to go through in the build up to the Austria game and he was still able to put the ball down and focus and you couldn't place it with your hand any closer to the top corner. And he's done it from so far out with his foot.
"To do that shows he has mental toughness and he has had to have that.
"Many a player might have fallen by the wayside and I don't think it is right that people get the chance to criticise him when he has given so much to a football club like he has done.
Bale's brilliance against the Austrians was indeed a timely reminder of his enduring importance for his country, and Page has joked that it would surely be time to start discussing a possible statue if he manages to lead Wales into a World Cup.
"I'd build one myself if he scores a winner. I would build it myself," he said.
"He's been a legend. He's a Welsh icon, absolutely. And not just what he has done on the pitch. A lot of people don't know what he does off the pitch with regards to charities."
Bale's charitable work, Page says, has been just as valuable a contribution to Wales as the fierce passion and determination he shows when pulling on the famous red jersey.
"We had to do a photograph recently for a car company, one of the sponsors where we were handing over a car, and they wanted Gareth in the picture," he said.
"I asked why and it was because he had donated a large sum of money to the hospital. A lot of people don't see that. He's not the type of character to shout that from the rooftops. I'm going to do it for him. He won't do it and then we don't get to hear about the good he does.
"It's not just what he has done on the pitch, it's what he is. He's a role model to the younger kids and things like that shows he has got class."
