Colwill's 'surreal' Ronaldo and Haaland ambition

Joel Colwill has won two senior caps for Wales [FAW] Roll the clock back 12 months and Joel Colwill was facing then uncapped Icelandic midfielder Benony Breki Andresson, as Cardiff City drew 1-1 at Stockport in League Two. One year on, and the 21-year-old Welsh youngster is hoping to share the pitch with Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo and Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland. Colwill has been included in Craig Bellamy's 28-man squad for Wales upcoming Nations League A campaign against Portugal, Norway and Denmark, and the Cardiff midfielder cannot quite believe he could be facing footballing legends. "Hopefully if I get the opportunity to play against both of those players, it'll be pretty surreal, especially Ronaldo, one of the greatest players of all time," said Colwill. "If I find myself on the same pitch as him, I'll be in shock. "It would be a pretty surreal moment, if it happens. Fingers crossed it does." Bellamy right to speak to Burnley - FAW chief Adams Wilson major Wales injury concern for Nations League Having been promoted back to the top flight of the Nations League, Wales begin their daunting fixture list against Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday, 24 September. And Ronaldo is in line to face Bellamy's side having been named in the first squad selected by new Portugal coach Jorge Jesus. After the Selecao's round-of-16 World Cup exit, the 41-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid star said he would speak to his family before deciding whether to carry on playing for his country. His inclusion in the squad to play Wales means Ronaldo will delay following his great rival Lionel Messi into international retirement. As to which of those deserves the title of football's GOAT, Colwill is undecided. "It's a tough one because Ronaldo is one of the best goalscorers of all time, but in terms of play-making, Messi is one of the best," he added. "They both have their own different ways to impress and had moments in history where they were the best." Does Bellamy need to win back Wales fans? Bellamy 'committed' to Wales after Burnley talks Colwill's boyhood hero, however, was much closer to home. Ever since being raised on recordings of Steven Gerrard he has aimed to emulate the Liverpool great. "My old man had DVDs and I used to watch loads of Liverpool games of [Gerrard] playing when he was scoring goals," said Neath-born Colwill. "So, he's a player, especially when I was younger, I used to try and model my game on." He may not yet have reached the Premier League stage that Gerrard graced but Colwill - the younger brother of Cardiff and Wales team-mate Rubin - broke into Bellamy's squad in September 2025 making his debut in a friendly against Canada. His second cap came six months later against Northern Ireland. "When I go on [Wales] camps, I'm trying to learn as much as I can off Craig and the top talent they have there," Colwill added. "There's some top players there, like Harry Wilson and David Brooks, with a lot of them playing in the Premier League, which is every player's aspiration one day - to play in what some would say is the best league in the world."