Wales star to join exclusive club with Gareth Bale and Jess Fishlock

Gareth Bale, Wales player, Jess Fishlock
Wales legends Gareth Bale and Jess Fishlock have over 100 caps (Image credit: Future)

Hayley Ladd will become the 10th Wales player in history - male or female - to reach her 100th cap for the country if she features against Italy on Friday.

Ladd, who made her debut for Wales in 2011, will join the likes of Gareth Bale (111 caps) and Jess Fishlock (158 caps) in the exclusive list.

The match in which she is likely to reach the milestone is the Nations League opener for the team who will make history later this year at the Euros.

Wales' Hayley Ladd: "It will be a really great honour"

Hayley Ladd of Wales during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Play-off Round Two first leg match between Wales and Republic of Ireland at Cardiff City Stadium in Wales

Hayley Ladd recently moved to Everton from Manchester United (Image credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The Everton midfielder told BBC Sport Wales: "Winning 100 caps, if it comes, will be a really great honour, a proud moment for me and for my family.

"I remember watching when the likes of Jess Fishlock and Sophie Ingle won their 100th caps and thinking, 'If I can do that, then when I am retired, I can look back at something great'

Hayley Ladd of Everton looks on during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Everton and Aston Villa at Walton Hall Park on January 18, 2025 in Liverpool, England.

Hayley Ladd is a WSL legend (Image credit: Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

"To be on the brink of that, is very special."

Wales will be looking to build on their momentum after securing Euros qualification for the first time in the women's team's history.

Manager Rhian Wilkinson has said the Nations League is the perfect preparation for this summer's tournament.

“We have a perfect run-in to the Euros with top opposition and every team giving us a different challenge,” she said. “We need to make sure that anytime we have the opportunity to play top opposition, like in League A, that we make the most of that experience.

"That we’re brave enough to play, to learn hard lessons, and yet to just make the most of everything we’ve got leading into a history making Euros.”

Wales have been drawn in the group of death for the summer competition, facing France, England and the Netherlands in the group stage. In FourFourTwo's view Wales will exit the tournament before the knockout stage.

The qualification alone though, for Ladd, is a career highlight.

"To finally get there after all that heartbreak, and when I say that - heartbreak - I really mean it, to finally get there was just the best feeling.

"In terms of my career it is the absolute highlight, without a doubt."

Sarah Rendell
Women's football editor

Sarah joined the FourFourTwo team in September 2024 in a freelance role. She also writes for The Guardian, BBC and Rugby World where she specialises in women's football and rugby. Sarah has a bachelors degree in English and a master's in newspaper journalism.