For decades, the son of Brynamman has shown his commitment and unwavering love for his nation.

And this weekend Dafydd Iwan hit an all-time high when his iconic song  ‘Ni Yma O Hyd’ inspired Wales to qualify for the World Cup.

“The surge was tremendous,” he said.

“I felt there was an effort to sing a Welsh language song and even though some of the people didn’t understand all of the words, the atmosphere and the message that we knew lay behind the song was incredible. In spite of everything, we’re still here."

Born in Brynamman in 1943, Dafydd Iwan’s political persuasion was ignited in the 1979 referendum when just under 80 per cent of the nation voted against establishing a Welsh parliament.

By now, Iwan was a devout nationalist who was briefly imprisoned in the 1970s for his decision to deface English road signs.

As Wales moved into the 1980s his committment lay in writing a song that would sum up his passion for his homeland and narrate how the Welsh language and its culture has survived for the past 2,000 years.

No one can deny that ‘Ni Yma o Hyd’ was a resolute winner.

The words translate as: ‘We’re still here. Despite everyone and everything, We’re still here’.

Forty years after its first release, ‘Ni Yma o Hyd’ has gained recognition as the unofficial national anthem of Wales.

“My intention was to write a song that would remind people that despite all the odds, Welsh remains very much a spoken and living language,” he said.

“And Sunday’s match brought this home to the 33,000 people who sang it.”

Iwan’s song was sung before Sunday’s match and again after Wales reached that 1-0 victory against Ukraine and anyone who has ever watched Dafydd Iwan perform it from a live stage will now just how much passion the song ignites for him.

As a result, Dafydd Iwan is now in the reckoning for the Number One iTunes spot; he currently stands in second place behind Kate Bush and her ‘Running Up the Hill’ and remains firmly ahead of A-list songwriters including Lady Gaga and Harry Styles.