Wales defender Chris Gunter has expressed his delight at how far the Dragons are "reaching out" to the rest of the world following their "eye-opening" China Cup trip.
The UK nation reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 two years ago, boasts one of the most high-profile footballers in the world in Gareth Bale, and is managed by Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
As a result, Wales's profile has skyrocketed in the footballing world and their visit of Nanning ahead of the fixture against China saw local fans eager to meet and greet their heroes.
According to Sky Sports News, one fan said that she spent three hours a day for two months drawing a photograph of Gunter's chin-up gesture to Wales supporters following the last-minute defeat to England in France.
"I had a couple of messages on Twitter before I came here, but I didn't know what to expect really," the Reading full-back 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 [Bale].
"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's most-capped outfield player when he made his 86th appearance in the 6-0 semi-final victory over China on Thursday.
Giuseppe Labellarte
