Bale glad to snub England, just like Giggs

Gareth Bale may be set to miss this weekend's 2012 European Championship qualifier due to injury, but he has no regrets about deciding to play for Wales rather than England.

Sky Sports News understands that the Tottenham star has been ruled out of Saturday's Group G match in Cardiff due to a hamstring problem.

But Bale has still had his say on following in the footsteps of his predecessor on Wales' left-side, Ryan Giggs, who also snubbed England.

Giggs could have played for the Three Lions on a residential basis, but Bale would have qualified through an English grandmother.

However, Bale said in the Daily Mirror: "I am really proud to be Welsh and to play for Wales.

"Like my idol, Ryan Giggs. I wouldn't change anything for the world."

It will not be the first time that Bale's career has been hampered by injuries if, as expected, he misses the match against England at the Millennium Stadium.

The 21-year-old has only recently returned to the Tottenham team and his youth career was heavily disrupted by fitness setbacks.

"From 12 to 14, I grew at a crazy rate," said Bale. "My muscles and tendons weren't able to keep up with the growth of my bones and I started to have problems with my back and my flexors. Southampton only agreed to keep me because of my parents.

"Then, soon after I joined Spurs, I had a horrible fracture in my right foot against Birmingham and it nearly finished me again. They inserted screws in the operation that stayed in for three months and it was eight months before I recovered.

"But the club backed me, told me to continue to work, that it wasn't my fault."