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Real Madrid broke the world transfer fee record in the summer of 2013 when they signed Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for £85 million. The transfer was not a surprise as time and time again, the big two in Spain have lured away the finest players from the English top-flight.
Gareth Bale was arguably the best player in the Premier League at that point in time and he had won his second PFA Players' Player of the Year award in the 2012-13 season, having scored 26 goals in all competitions for Spurs and the Real Madrid hierarchy made the decision to sign him that summer.
Playing for one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the burden of being the most expensive player on the planet meant that there was a huge weight of expectations on his shoulders. Bale has drawn criticisms claiming he was underperforming, but he has silenced all of them and is now one of the key figures in the Real Madrid team.
This piece mentions five of Bale’s unforgettable moments in his three-year-old Real Madrid career.
#5 September 14, 2013 – A Goal on His Debut
Gareth Bale’s debut for Real Madrid was against Villareal at the El Madrigal. All eyes were on Real Madrid’s new number eleven and he had to deliver a fine performance. The Welshman did just that as he took just 38 minutes to score his first goal for Los Blancos. He got onto the end of a cross from Dani Carvajal and slotted the ball past the Villareal goalkeeper, Sergio Asenjo, from the edge of the six-yard box.
Bale’s goal brought Real Madrid level with the hosts who had already taken the lead through Ruben Cani earlier in the half. The former Southampton player was withdrawn after an hour and his manager Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with his performance. However, Real Madrid failed to secure all three points as Mexican international Giovani Dos Santos scored in the 70th minute to salvage a point for Villareal after Cristiano Ronaldo had put the visitors ahead six minutes earlier.
Despite his side's draw, Bale grabbed all the headlines in the newspapers the following day as he made the right start to his Real Madrid career.
#4 November 30, 2013 – First hat-trick for Real Madrid
Real Madrid went into this game against Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu without their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo who was unavailable because of a thigh strain, but Gareth Bale rose to the occasion bagging three goals. Bale scored a header and with both his feet to register a perfect hat-trick.
Just after the half-hour mark, Valladolid goalkeeper’s attempt to save Angel di Maria’s powerful shot led to the ball falling kindly for Bale who headed it into the empty net. Bale then turned provider as he delivered a fine cross for Karim Benzema to make it 2-0.
Also Read: 10 famous footballers and the story behind their goal celebrations
The Welshman scored his second of the game when the Valladolid defence failed to deal with a cross from Marcelo; Bale pounced on it and his shot hit the back of the net. The 27-year-old completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute after he got on the end of another cross from Marcelo and Bale asked all his team-mates to sign the match ball which he took home.
#3 December 20, 2015 – Fabulous Four
Bale’s 2015-16 season was hit by injuries and he made only 31 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions. However, he did manage to find the back of the net 19 times in 23 league outings and four of those goals came in the 10-2 thrashing of Real Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Two of Real Vallecano’s players were sent off inside the first half hour and it was an afternoon to forget for the visitors. Four goals from Bale, a Benzema hat-trick, a brace from Ronaldo and a Danilo goal completed the rout.
Bale scored his first of the afternoon in the 25th minute when Danilo delivered a beautiful cross into the box which the Welshman headed home. The former Southampton player was given the freedom to run into the Vallecano box and he fired a shot into the corner in the 41st minute to bag his second goal of the match.
He completed his hat-trick just after the hour mark as he slotted home Cristiano Ronaldo’s cross. Bale then tried to set up Ronaldo in the 70th minute but his cross was deflected into his own path and he scored his fourth goal.
Even though he didn't play as much as he would have liked that season, Bale had a spectacular end to the campaign as Real Madrid won the champions league for the second time in three years.
#2 April 16, 2014 – Being Faster than a Bullet
The 2016-17 UEFA Champions League match ball has Gareth Bale’s hand written message, ‘Being faster than a bullet’ , featured on it and his incredible winner against Barcelona in the 2013-14 Copa del Rey simply visualizes this phrase.
The match was heading into extra time after both sides had scored a goal apiece and the Mestalla stadium demanded someone to take centre stage. Gareth Bale did just that and he did it in some style.
He received the ball from Fabio Coentrao on the left flank inside his own half and made a breathtaking run forward. He beat Barcelona defender Marc Bartra for pace and slotted the ball home through the legs of goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto to score one of the best goals of his career.
Bale’s goal not only helped Real Madrid clinch their 19th Copa del Rey title but also silenced his critics and explained why Los Blancos paid £85m for his services.
#1 May 24, 2014 - European Glory
It was the first time in history that two clubs from the same city made it to the final of the most prestigious competition in Europe, as Real Madrid faced local rivals Atletico Madrid at The Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Real Madrid were hoping to win a record tenth European crown or the La Décima.
However, things didn’t get underway according to plans as Diego Godin opened the scoring for the La Liga champions in the 36th minute. Sergio Ramos equalised in the last seconds of the game forcing extra-time to decide the winner.
Penalties were on the horizon before Gareth Bale seized the moment. He headed in to put Real Madrid in the lead, after Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s save from a powerful Angel di Maria shot deflected the ball into Bale’s path. His goal led Real Madrid into European Glory for the first time since 2002.
Bale’s first season at Real Madrid was probably better than he would have hoped for as he finished the season with a tally of 22 goals and 16 assists and helped his side to win two major honours.
