Double dream come true as Rabbi Matondo opens Wales account

Rabbi Matondo revealed he fulfilled two childhood dreams with his first international goal as Wales began their World Cup campaign by beating Kazakhstan.

Matondo put the seal on Wales’ 3-1 Group J qualifying win at Cardiff City Stadium with a close-range 90th-minute strike soon after replacing Daniel James.

“I’ve had to be patient,” said Matondo, who won his 13th cap on Saturday over six years on from making his debut in November 2018.

“It hasn’t been easy at times but it’s about how the team do. I’ve always been a big Wales fan from the get-go, from growing up to where I am today.

“I’m grateful for getting picked and being in the squad, so it was nice to get on the pitch and score the first goal for my country.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of when I was younger.”

Cardiff academy product Matondo had double cause to celebrate with his maiden international goal coming at his hometown stadium.

It was a moment Matondo never savoured as a Cardiff player after leaving the Welsh club at the age of 16 to join Manchester City.

Matondo said: “I was buzzing. I came through the Cardiff academy ranks before moving away, so it was always a dream of mine to score at the Cardiff City Stadium.

“To score, especially at the Canton End as well, was a lovely feeling.

“It was nice to get on for the minutes I did and to get my first goal, so hopefully many more now.

“I’m loving every moment of camp so far. It’s my first camp under the new manager and I’m enjoying the training and instructions and the way we’re playing.”

Matondo spent time with Craig Bellamy previously when the Wales manager worked at the Cardiff academy.

But the 24-year-old winger’s football path has not been straightforward.

Matondo joined German club Schalke and had loan spells at Stoke and Cercle Brugge in Belgium after failing to make the breakthrough at Manchester City.

He joined Rangers in the summer of 2022 but made just 18 Scottish Premiership starts in an Ibrox spell bedevilled by injury.

Matondo returned to Germany in January with a loan switch to Hannover in the second tier.

“It wasn’t an easy decision at first but when Hannover showed me what they were planning in the future I thought, ‘Why not? Go there and try to play my football’,” he said.

“It’s been a long, hard season with injury at the start so coming back and trying to get minutes was very important.

“I didn’t know whether I would get that at Rangers at that moment.”

Wales are in World Cup action again on Tuesday away to North Macedonia, who began their qualifying campaign with a 3-0 success in Liechtenstein on Saturday.