They said we were too small, they said we weren’t good enough, they said we’d never make it… but now we have. For the first time since 1958, Wales have qualified for the World Cup!

This is a remarkable feat for a small nation such as ourselves, but as Sage Todz says in his new re-worked drill version of Yma o Hyd, “the country may be small, but the dragon weighs a tonne”.

The Welsh team did three things immediately after their initial celebration when the final whistle finally blew at 95 minutes.

They went over to the Ukraine team and fans to console them for their valiant efforts.

They then went and sang Yma o Hyd with Dafydd Iwan – the symbolism of which was incredibly powerful.

As Dafydd said: “I’m glad the song has reached new levels and feels like it belongs to football fans even when they don’t speak Welsh.”

I’m so happy that people now agree that Welsh language and culture belong to everyone in Wales, regardless of whether or not they speak the language.

After this, the manager Robert Page gave an interview where he said that it was Gary Speed who laid the foundations for the incredible success the team has had since his short but immeasurably influential reign. Diolch, Gary.

We are living in a golden age of Welsh football, having qualified for three out of the four most recent major tournaments, led by our talisman Gareth Bale, who we can now undoubtedly say is the greatest Welsh player ever.

The women’s team are also on course to secure a playoff spot for their World Cup, thanks to a very strong squad, excellent management and the support of the Welsh FA, and it would be great to see strong support in Cardiff City Stadium for their crucial final group game against Slovenia in September.

One thing is certain: after December, no one will look puzzled again when you’re on holiday and you say you’re from Wales. Everyone will have heard of us.

It’s therefore crucial that the Welsh Government does all it can to maximize our newfound fame. I’ll be calling on them to support Welsh exporters to sell their goods to the world under the Wales brand, to support our tourism industry to cater for a possible influx of curious visitors and to ensure that the world has access to Welsh culture, ancient and modern.

I’ll also encourage them to work with the Welsh FA to organise a send-off for the team, so that all the fans who can’t attend can wish the team good luck before they go, and to consider plans for fanzones around Wales – a challenge in late autumn, but possible with early planning.

But for time being I’ll continue to bask in an incredible achievement – an achievement that proves that Wales isn’t too small to take its place on the world stage, after all.