If it’s the end, it was the worst possible way to bow out.

No trophy, no win, and no goal from open play. Just a solitary penalty that raised false hopes.

And all because he “felt” his hamstring a few minutes before half-time in Wales’ lame surrender to England.

Gareth Bale’s one and only World Cup was such a non-event that it could tarnish his legacy.

He had fewer touches than the linesman while “doing a Bale” or “not doing a Bale” could enter the game’s lexicon whenever aging stars think the gig may be over.

With Lionel Messi (35), Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric (37), Robert Lewandowski (34) and Diego Godin (36), all in the twilight zone, the focus will be on how they fare over the coming days.

Whatever your allegiance, you hope that none of them end up “doing a Bale”.

To quit at half-time with a mere hint of a minor injury and your team still clinging to its slim chance of survival was not the stuff of Welsh warrior legend.

Thousands of fans had saved up and travelled to Qatar for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Wales in a World Cup.

And all they got was an epic let-down.

But such is the love for Bale in Wales that there’s been little outcry about the captain being first to leave the sinking ship. Not yet anyway.

And at 0-0, the ship wasn’t sinking.

But Bale had “felt” enough to down tools at the crucial moment.

It was a pity no one reminded him of others who had been less than 100% but had continued the fight.

Indeed, there was one example just minutes earlier when Christian Pulisic crashed into Iran keeper Alireza Beiranvand as he scored the goal that sent the USA through.

Like Beiranvand in a previous game – albeit defying concussion protocol – Pulisic insisted on staying on the field before having to hobble off minutes later.

Both experienced something a tad more than a twinge.

The American has a pelvic contusion but is desperate to play the next game.

England’s Stuart Pearce once played on for West Ham with a broken leg; then broke it again six months later but still refused to be carried off.

Belgium’s Vincent Kompany sustained a broken nose, broken eye-socket and concussion, but wild horses would not have dragged him off the field.

Brazil’s Ronaldo had a seizure before the 1998 World Cup final but still played – albeit in a daze.

The list is endless and shames a so-called superstar who did the boxing equivalent of quitting on his stool.

There were suspicions that Bale was a bit of a wuss even as a young left-back at Tottenham.

Not relishing a tackle was one reason he ventured forward to become a wing-back and eventually a world-class winger.

But the number of matches he missed infuriated managers, not least Jose Mourinho during Bale’s brief return to Spurs.

The “dream” front three of Bale, Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min played together only a handful of times.

And it was partly why Bale never received the warmth that his five Champions League wins deserved at Real Madrid.

None of the above-mentioned 30-somethings are likely to leave in the middle of the battle.

But leaving the sport is the hardest thing for a footballer to do.

Torn between the two mantras of ‘quitting while you’re ahead’ and ‘being a long-time retired’, these particular stars have already decided on the latter.

Eric Cantona was one who appeared to quit too early, but was well “ahead” at the time.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic seems to belong to the club that doesn’t want it to end.

Messi has already said this will be his last World Cup while Ronaldo, who is two years older, has often suggested he’ll play into his 40s.

And you wouldn’t bet against him appearing in the USA in 2026.

But both Modric and Lewandowski have had mixed fortunes in this tournament.

Each has had his moment – Lewandowski finally scoring a World Cup goal – and Modric being Man of the Match.

But each has also looked his age and they may be best advised to make this their last appearance at this exalted level.

You can understand Ronaldo continuing.

He’s got his own industry, is supremely fit and even if his powers are finally waning, he can still justify a place as a goal-poaching supersub.

The doughty Godin has been outstanding and may soldier on too.

There’s also the money – football, even at a slightly lower level, is still a gravy train. Why give up easy money?

But there’s only one thing worse than seeing a fading star fall into his own sunset: that’s seeing him go out under a cloud.

Sadly, Bale managed that with precious little effort.

He said his mission was to put Wales on the map; he ensured they disappeared without trace.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.