Gareth Bale makes a shocking announcement to move to the MSL team, Los Angeles FC for the upcoming season. Having received a very less playing time at Real Madrid in a couple of past seasons, he is finally leaving the Los Blancos at the end of his contract. His contract ended in June 2022. The Welsh international is a Real Madrid legend where he won the UEFA Champions League record five times. Bale is considered one of the greatest wingers of his generation and the greatest Welsh footballer of all time. The player started his football career at Southampton and played for Tottenham Hotspur before joining the Spanish club, Real Madrid in 2013 where he achieved more success.
Everything To Know About Gareth Bale
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Southampton
Gareth Bale started his football career as a left-back at the then-Championship club, Southampton in 2006, becoming the second-youngest player to play for the club. He soon established himself as a free-kick specialist as he scored mostly free-kick goals.
With 45 appearances and 5 goals in all competitions for Southampton, he moved to the Premier League club, Tottenham in 2007.
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Tottenham
Bale signed a four-year contract with the club initially for £5 million in May 2007. He made his competitive debut for Tottenham against Manchester United and scored his first against Fulham. In his six years career at Tottenham, Bale scored 55 goals in 203 appearances in all competitions. He missed months of football in his first two seasons due to injuries.
One of Bale’s most highlighted moments in his Tottenham career was his hat-trick against Inter Milan in the Champions League in October 2010. It was the first senior hat-trick of his career. Tottenham was down 4-0 inside the first 35 minutes and was with ten men for over 80 minutes. Bale scored a hat-trick in the match. In the return leg, he set up two goals in a 3-1 win. His performance in that specific match garnered him international attention and interest from several top European clubs.
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Real Madrid
Gareth Bale became the most expensive player when he signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid in September 2013. His transfer fee was reported the world record of €100 million at the time, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s €94 million transfer record to Real Madrid.
Bale went on to become one of the influential players for Real Madrid. Along with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, dubbed as BBC, they went on to win the 2013-14 Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. As a Madrid star, he went on to win a record five UEFA Champions League titles, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey title, one Supercopa de Espana title, three UEFA Super Cup titles, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles.
His goal against Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final where he outsprinted Barcelona defender Marc Bartra from the halfway line running off the field at one point to score become one of the best goals of his career. The attacking trio BBC scored 97 goals in the 2013-14 season.
In the latter years, Bale struggled with playing time in the club. He spent most of the time on the bench. He was hardly seen on the field. He made the most anticipated return to Tottenham Hotspur in September 2020. He returned on a season-long loan deal.
It was confirmed in June 2022 that he would be leaving Real Madrid at the end of his contract in June 2022. He would leave the Los Blancos with 106 goals in 258 appearances in all competitions. On 25 June 2022, Bale announced on social media that he would be joining Major League Soccer team, Los Angeles FC on a free transfer. It is reported that he had signed a one-year deal with an option of a one-year extension with the club. More details about his contract and salary are to be updated here.
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Gareth Bale International Career
Gareth Bale became the youngest player at the age of 16 years and 315 days to make his senior international debut. He made his senior team debut against Austria. He became the youngest ever goalscorer for Wales when he scored a free-kick goal in a Euro 2008 qualifiers against Slovakia on 7 October 2006. He led Wales to the UEFA Euro 2016, their first-ever major finals since the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He became the first Wesh player to score at a major international tournament since the 1958 World Cup when he scored the first goal for Wales in their opening game against Slovakia in Euro 2016. He led Wales to the semi-finals of the tournament where they lost 2-0 to the eventual champions, Portugal.
Bale surpassed Ian Rush to become Wales’ all-time top-scorer with 29 goals in 2018. He scored his first hat-trick in his international career against China in the 2018 China Cup. He captained Wales at the 2020 Euro Cup where they reached the Round of 16.
Bale achieved the highest achievement of his international career when he helped Wales qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1958. In the playoff final against Ukraine in June 2022, he scored a free-kick goal in a 1-0 victory. His free-kick was deflected into the net by Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko that ended up at the back of the net.
What is Gareth Bale’s Net Worth?
Gareth Bale is one of the richest footballers. He has an estimated net worth of around $145 million. He earned around €30 million in annual salary at Real Madrid. While on loan to Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Tottenham split half his salary. He was earning around €20 million annually when he signed with Real Madrid in 2013. His contract renewal in 2016 raised his salary significantly. At his peak, his market value was near €100 million. In June 2022, his market value drastically dropped below €5 million.
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Transfer History
Gareth Bale received interest from Premier League clubs when he earned freekick specialist acclaims to his name. He eventually made a transfer to the Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur for an eventual £7 million. He was performing at the peak of his Tottenham career when he was approached by the Spanish club, Real Madrid.
Bale signed a six-year deal for a transfer fee of €100.8 million in September 2013. He spent a season-long loan deal in his former club, Tottenham for the 2020-21 season and returned to Real Madrid for his final season. At the end of his contract with Real Madrid in 2022, he announced to leave the club. He confirmed in June 2022 that he has made a transfer to the MLS club, LAFC.
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Awards and Achivements
Gareth Bale is one of the most successful football players. During his time at Real Madrid, he won five UEFA Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, one Supercopa de Espana, three UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups.
Individually, he has several personal accolades to his name. He was named Tottenham Hotspur Young Player of the Year in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 and Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year 2012-13. He was named Premier League Player of the Season 2012-13. He was named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year in 2010 and Welsh Footballer of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
He was appointed MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honors for services to football and charity.
Source: @The42
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