Dad of former Wales boss Gary Speed claims tragic legend is proudly watching Dragons take the Euros by storm

 that he, along with wife Carol, 71, cried when Wales sealed their emotional 3-1 victory over Belgium on Friday night.

The sensational result confirmed the legendary status of the current crop of Welsh stars, whose performance has been so impressive that it would make tragic gaffer Gary Speed proud.

It was the former Leeds and Everton star who is responsible for much of the success enjoyed by the Wales team, who now find themselves just 90 minutes away from securing a place in the final.

Gary was appointed Wales manager in December 2010, a role he relished and excelled in before his tragic suicide just 11 months later, in November 2011.

Under his leadership, Wales climbed from 116th in the world rankings to 46th, setting the tone for the high-flying side's continued rise to greatness at the Euros.

And Gary Speed's proud dad believes that his son will be cheering the Welsh lads on as they continue their historic march through the competition.

Dad Roger said: "Watching the games I can still see Gary on the touchline and we keep saying ‘he should be there’.

“It’s sad that he’s not here to accept all the accolades and everything.

“But he’s definitely watching down on them and I think the lads know that somehow the way they’re playing.

“The fans are still chanting Gary’s name and everything, it’s fantastic. They’ll never forget him will they - it makes us so proud."

Welsh icon Gary Speed left behind a Wales side in the ascendancy, and laid the foundations for the team's incredible success against Belgium on Friday.

If the underdog side, managed by Chris Coleman, can secure a win against Portugal on Wednesday, they'll guarantee a place in final and take their record-breaking run further than anyone dared to dream.

And Roger has nothing but praise for the current crop of players and their manager, who he said has "done brilliantly following Gary."

Roger added: "He’s kept it going and done a tweak here and a tweak there and we’re doing brilliant. He’s carried on a great job. We’re absolutely made up.”

He also joked that he's looking forward to the final, before saying: “The players are all smashing lads, they’ve got a great team spirit and they’re playing really well, it’s history being made.

“Even the England supporters are shouting for us now."

Legendary manager Gary Speed was 42 when he took his own life, after succumbing to depression following a prolonged struggle with his mental health.

He was happily married to wife Louise, who found his body in the garage after a night out with friends.

And Gary also left behind two sons, Ed, 18, and Tom, 17, who are returning home to watch Wednesday's semi-final with their family.