Gareth Bale’s transformation from a maligned left-back into one of the most fearsome wingers on the planet is quite well documented, with the Welshman proving his detractors wrong time and again during his journey from the south coast of England to the glaring lights of the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mercilessly booed by the Madrid faithful during his initial months with Los Blancos, it was a harsh induction into a much more demanding and cutthroat environment for the former Tottenham Hotspur man; but then again, in a stadium that also whistled the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Alfredo di Stefano, one tends to take such misdemeanors with a pinch of salt.
Bale, of course, won the European Cup, the Copa Del Ray, the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in his first season with the club, scoring in 3 out of the 4 finals and providing an assist in the one in which he did not score. A ‘muted’ second season saw him unfairly called into question once again; with every query regarding the Welshman carrying whiffs of accusation and sports dailies repeatedly calling into question his commitment.
The appointment of Rafa Benitez as the manager at the beginning of last season saw a revitalised Bale, with the Spanish tactician carving out a centre-forward role for him and trying to bring in a new style of play with Bale as the fulcrum of the team.
Bale clearly was loving life under Benitez, but apparent rumblings and discontent from the rest of the dressing room saw Rafa sacked and Bale beginning the new year under a new manager, the legendary Zinedine Zidane; again, with a palpable sense of unease at what his role might be in a team that seemed to be unravelling at the seams.
New Year, new beginning
Bale began the New Year rightly concerned that the departure of Benitez would result in him returning to the wing. Instead, he scored a hat-trick on Zidane’s managerial debut at the Santiago Bernabeu, leaving the pitch to a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans and departed the stadium with the match ball under his arm, signed by his teammates.
It was his second hat-trick in 4 games; all 3 goals came from a central position as he arguably produced his best all-round display since joining the club on a then world record transfer fee.
While Bale spent a vast majority of last season sidelined by repeated niggling injuries, he managed to return to form rapidly after each absent spell. He played fewer games than he had in either of his previous 2 seasons at the Spanish capital, starting just 21 times, yet managed to score 19 goals and register 10 assists.
Real had even come to rely on the Welshman. They scored more goals and their win percentage with him in the team rose to 76.2% when he started. The relentless pressure that was once placed on Ronaldo’s shoulders was now slowly being eased, with the Portuguese superstar’s absence not as hard-hitting as it once had been.
It could also be said that Ronaldo’s absence allowed Bale to thrive, with him scoring 0.42 goals per game with Ronaldo in the team and that figure more than doubling to 0.88 goals per game without him.
Bale scored the only goal of the tie against Manchester City as Real set up another derby day against neighbours Atletico in the Champion’s League final. Bale’s 3rd goal in added time had killed the tie and effectively handed Los Blancos their much awaited La Decima two seasons back against Atleti, and he assisted Ramos’s goal with a cheeky flick in normal time.
He would then hammer in Real’s third penalty after the 2 teams had drawn 1-1 in normal time to help take La Undecima back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
After all the trials and tribulations, he would end the domestic season on a high. A clearly emotional Bale knew how important the victory was to a team just beginning to find its identity and was establishing a foothold in a new era under Zidane. He said, “I had cramp after it [the penalty], thank God it wasn’t before. I actually wasn’t too nervous – I was nervous after it. I don’t know why. They were brilliant penalties from everyone.
“It’s an amazing feeling, I can’t describe how it feels. It’s amazing and the boys gave everything. The club, the fans have been amazing on this journey and they deserve it.”
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A dream run in the European Championships
In October 2015, a less-heralded group of footballers from Wales had shown incredible pluckiness and mettle to beat a resilient Andorra side 2-0 in front of a sellout home crowd in Cardiff, thereby finishing second in their group behind Belgium and qualifying for the European Championship; their first major tournament since the World Cup in 1958.
Bale’s incredible form in qualifying saw him net 7 goals, adding up to a total of 19 in 54 appearances for the national side – tying Craig Bellamy in fifth for all-time top-scorers and lagging just 9 behind Ian Rush in 1st. While they were ranked 8th in the world at the time, they would still be placed in pot 4 and likely be given a very difficult group –eventually drawing England, Russia and Slovakia for the finals.
Wales would, of course, go on to have the sort of dream run that would inspire a whole generation of young Welsh football fans and capture the imaginations of everyone around the globe.
Bale was the star-man of the team and he showed it. Even with every opposition team trying to man-mark him out of the game, Bale played the entire tournament on full-tilt, with the likes of Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Sam Vokes and everybody else in the team providing the perfect foil, acting as the supporting cast.
It had not simply been about what Bale has delivered at the championship, in terms of his three goals, the dribbles and the chances he had created. It had been about how he had inspired his teammates and frighten his rivals, and how he came-of-age as their charismatic leader.
There were the tongue-in-cheek jibes at England before the group-stage match, which were aimed at seeing whether anyone would bite, while also projecting Welsh confidence, and there was even the remark before their famous quarter-final victory over Belgium – where they showed incredible spirit and guts to come from 1-0 down to win 3-1 – when he mused about his country’s positive recent record against them.
Bale was truly enjoying himself, perhaps as never before, and it was showing. The 26-year-old was a man at ease with himself, in control and, for his opponents, it was an intimidating sight.
While their epic journey was put to a halt by eventual champions, Portugal, in the semi-finals, Bale and co left the tournament with their heads held high, far exceeding any sort of expectation and putting in the sort of performances that would be remembered for generations to come. They would leave with many memories, whether it be Robson-Kanu’s Cruyff turn, or Joe Allen’s incredible pass, or their high-class dissection of the world no. 1 team in Belgium in Lille.
A flourishing end to the year
Bale began the new domestic season with the same vein of form that saw him light up the European Championships, scoring a double to help Real to a commanding 3-0 win in their La Liga opener over Real Sociedad in the notoriously difficult to visit Anoeta stadium.
In the international scene, he continued chasing Ian Rush’s all-time scoring record for the Wales national team, scoring his 23rd and 24th goals to move ahead of Ivor Allchurch and Trevor Ford as Wales’ outright second highest scorer – just 4 behind Rush’s tally of 28.
He would then score his 25th and 26th goals during their 1-1 draws with Georgia and Serbia respectively, taking his total to just 2 behind the all-time record. His incredible year saw him win the Welsh Footballer of the Year award for a 4th time in a row, and his 6th overall.
His increasing importance with Los Blancos was reflected in a massive new 6-year contract worth a reported £350,000 a week – adding up to £150 million pounds for the duration of the contract – with a buyout clause of an eye-watering £427 million pounds and effectively tying him to the Bernabeu for the rest of his career.
Bale had already contributed to 7 goals and 3 assists in just 16 appearances this season, but his year was cut cruelly short due to a peroneal tendon injury he sustained during Wales’ 2-1 victory over Portugal in November; an injury that was expected to keep him out for at least 3 months and saw him miss all of Real’s festive fixtures, including the FIFA Club World Cup.
However, Bale did manage to end the season on a high, finishing an impressive 6th in France Football’s Ballon d'Or award ceremony – behind only the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Griezmann, Suarez and Neymar.
Bale is truly beginning to mature into one of the best and most complete footballers on the planet at the Bernabeu, and if 2016 can be taken as a marker for a sign of the things to come, the speedy winger is sure to keep mesmerising everyone around the globe in 2017 as well.
