Gary Speed leaves us with so many happy memories but his most glittering legacy of all is how he helped lay the foundation for the most exciting era of Welsh football in years.
That is why his death on Sunday has stunned so many of us who knew him and worked with him, and why his contribution will live on in those young players who loved playing in his sides.
His success in international management within such a short space of time – he was only appointed in December last year, and was in charge for just 10 games in total – is there for all to see in the Fifa world rankings. He adapted very quickly because he commanded the respect of all he worked with.
Wales were 110th in the world and struggling when he took over but he inspired a real turn-around. He led us to as high as 45th in the rankings and with the quality of players we have at our disposal – with Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and others –there was every likelihood we would progress in the next few years.
For the first time in a long period, Wales were looking ahead to the World Cup campaign with a genuine sense of anticipation, believing we could challenge and get close to qualifying for a major tournament for just the second time in our history. Some of the recent results and performances were as good as we’ve seen for long time.
I had been working alongside Gary as part of my role at the Welsh Football Association, so to see his life cut short just as his management career was blossoming is tragic.