_(cropped).jpg) Bale representing Wales at the 2022 FIFA World Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gareth Frank Bale[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 July 1989[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cardiff Civil Service | |||
| 1999–2006 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Southampton | 40 | (5) |
| 2007–2013 | Tottenham Hotspur | 146 | (42) |
| 2013–2022 | Real Madrid | 176 | (81) |
| 2020–2021 | → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 20 | (11) |
| 2022–2023 | Los Angeles FC | 12 | (2) |
| Total | 394 | (141) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Wales U17 | 7 | (1) |
| 2006 | Wales U19 | 1 | (1) |
| 2006–2008 | Wales U21 | 4 | (2) |
| 2006–2022 | Wales | 111 | (41) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gareth Frank Bale MBE (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest Welsh players of all time.[6] He was known for his pace and powerful shooting.
Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing as a left-back before moving to Tottenham in 2007. From the 2009–10 season, under coach Harry Redknapp, Bale transformed into a winger and was integral to Tottenham. He received several individual awards in England, including two PFA Players' Player of the Year awards and three PFA Team of the Year inclusions. In September 2013, Real Madrid signed Bale for a then world-record transfer fee of £85.1 million (€100.8 million). Being part of the subsequent trio dubbed BBC, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Bale helped Madrid to win the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in 2014, and he scored in both finals.
Bale was among the top three nominees for the 2015–16 UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, scored an overhead kick in Real Madrid's 2018 UEFA Champions League Final victory and was awarded the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball in 2018. In 2020–21, he returned to Tottenham on loan, before playing his final season in Madrid. In his nine-year tenure, Bale won 15 trophies, including three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues. He joined MLS club Los Angeles FC in July 2022 before retiring in January 2023, aged 33.
Bale made his international debut for Wales in May 2006. He earned 111 caps for the nation and scored 41 goals, making him Wales' most capped player and top goalscorer of all time. He was the top goalscorer for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 2016, scoring seven times; he subsequently carried Wales in the actual tournament to the semi-finals and scored three goals. He played in Euro 2020 and helped Wales qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ending a 64-year appearance drought at the World Cup for Wales. He was named Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times.
- ^ a b c "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – Squad List: Wales (WAL)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2022.
- ^ "'Gareth Bale probably the best left winger in the Premier League if not in Europe' – Everton's Phil Neville on the Tottenham star". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Richards, Alex. "The 15 Best Wingers in World Football". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ Potts Harmer, Alfie (25 December 2019). "7 Greatest Right Wingers of the decade". HITC Football. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "The 5 best Welsh Football Players of all-time". The Sporting Blog. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ [2][3][4][5]