Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson endured a real baptism of fire as Wales were dumped out of the World Cup in miserable fashion. After taking to Instagram, however, he received some words of motivation from Hal Robson-Kanu.
Rob Page’s team were very disappointing. They finished their Group B campaign with just one point from their games against USA, Iran and England. Furthermore, their only goal came from a Gareth Bale penalty in their first match.
For Johnson, it proved a frustrating tournament for more than one reason. The Forest man failed to start any of the three games that Wales played and was forced to play the role of an impact substitute.
Still, the experience will put him in good stead for the future. Johnson is largely seen as the poster boy for the future of football with the Wales national team and it seems certain that his time will come.
The Forest man will return home to England following Wales finishing bottom of Group B. After a short period of rest, it seems likely that he will head back to training refreshed and ready to help the Reds in their battle against relegation.
Johnson was magnificent last season. He scored 19 goals as Forest won promotion to the Premier League and so far during 2022/23 he’s found the net twice for the club he supported as a boy.
Johnson dumped out of World Cup but Robson-Kanu has encouraging words
At Euro 2016, Robson-Kanu etched his name into Wales footballing folklore. He scored the goal that sent the nation wild and saw Chris Coleman’s team overcome Belgium to reach the semi-final of the competition.
Wales lost to Portugal on that occasion but what a tournament! They captured the hearts of their nation and ensured that the football team become overnight heroes in the minds of supporters.
After Johnson posted on Instagram, Robson-Kanu offered some support to the Forest man. He said: “This is how heroes are born bro…”
This will take some bouncing back from for Johnson. He was predicted by many to enjoy a sound tournament but ultimately it just wasn’t meant to be for Wales at the World Cup in Qatar.
The challenge for Johnson and Co is to build and go again. The 2022 World Cup was their first in 64 years and it’s vital that Rob Page makes sure qualification became a regular occurrence for Wales.