Wales' Chris Gunter admits China welcome was 'eye-opening'
Gunter has become a hugely popular figure at the China Cup as home fans have lined up for autographs and selfies with the Reading full-back
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Your support makes all the difference.Wales defender Chris Gunter has had a taste of what it is like to be Gareth Bale with his own Chinese fan club overwhelming him in Nanning.
Gunter has become a hugely popular figure at the China Cup - if not quite rivalling the film-star attention on Real Madrid forward Bale - as home fans have lined up for autographs and selfies with the Reading full-back at the Wales team hotel.
One fan even said she spent three hours a day for two months drawing a photograph of Gunter's memorable chin-up gesture to Wales supporters following the last-minute defeat to England at Euro 2016.
"I had a couple of messages on Twitter before I came here, but I didn't know what to expect really," Gunter said of his new-found celebrity status ahead of Monday's China Cup final against Uruguay.
"There's a few more enthusiastic ones, but I don't think I can compete in numbers with Gareth.
"They are very polite and respectful here and the enthusiasm generally for us as a team has been eye-opening.
"It's fantastic and just shows in terms of Wales as a nation how far we're reaching out."
Gunter became Wales' most capped outfield player when he made his 86th appearance in the 6-0 semi-final victory over China on Thursday.
It took him past Gary Speed's 85-game mark and within six appearances of equalling Neville Southall's 92-cap record.
Gunter could possibly break Southall's record by the end of the year as he closes in on becoming the first Welshman to play 100 times for his country.
"There always seems to be another landmark," Gunter, 28, said.
"People tell you it's coming up, but to be outright second on an evening where we had the result and the performance was a good night.
"The caps I've always said is one thing, because you never think about it when you've lost.
"But what we've done in a lot of those games, especially over the last couple of years, and what I've been involved in outweighs the caps by a million miles for me.
"To be part of this last couple of years has given me the best days of my life. I'm extremely blessed to have that."
PA
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