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2013 was a year that saw a lot of things happen. It will forever be remembered as the year, the most famous political figure in the history of the world, Nelson Mandela, passed away. Amongst all of this, another thing happened. The world transfer record was broken again in the summer and surprise, surprise it was Real Madrid who broke the previous record they held. The player who broke it finally made his way to Real Madrid from Tottenham in a deal believed to be worth €100 million, in what was perhaps the worst kept secret of the summer.
Immediately after Gareth Bale moved to Madrid, there were those who said that this won’t happen again. But, let’s not forget that these were the same people, who said the same things a few years ago, when another wing wizard moved to Real Madrid from England. But such is the uncertainty of the beautiful game that you can’t say for certain that it won’t be broken again. But what can be said, is the fact that this was the year the footballing world, or at least the Real Madrid fans, were waiting for.
After a sluggish start to his Spurs career, 2012/13 was the season he took off and announced to the world what they already knew. Bale was a world class player in the making. His move to Madrid was on the back of a season that saw him reach double figures for the third straight season and finish with 21 Premier League goals, third in the League’s top scorer charts behind only Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez.
Of the 21 goals that he scored, 12 of them came in 2013 and most of them were deciding goals that settled a tight game. Initially, when he started at Spurs, he was considered by many as a harbinger of bad luck. And to be honest, they were right as well, as Gareth Bale went a record 24 Premier League games, before he was ever part of a winning Spurs side. Although that luck turned for the better in 2009, it was only in 2013 that he started to truly fulfill his potential.
At the start of the 2012/13 season, Bale asked for his squad number to be changed from 3 to 11, as he wasn’t a “left-back anymore” and he was given his wish. And that started what was a landmark season for Bale, which saw him end the season on a high and paved the way to starting the next season, in white, but not of Tottenham, but of Real Madrid, where he again wears the same number 11 shirt, which was worn by Paco Gento – the only player to have won six European Cups.
A testament to that transformation from a left-back to a left winger was the fact that the Tottenham manager realized his potential and built his team around the Welshman. Spurs of last season were a compact outfit who would often find a way through you thanks to the brilliance of their talisman Gareth Bale. And there were plenty of instances where he single-handedly dug Tottenham out of a hole.
Whether it was his trademark free-kick, or his ability to almost glide past defenders as if they weren’t there, Bale brought out his entire arsenal of tricks to the party in 2013. What made Bale so deadly was that, unlike in previous years, Bale had taken a liking to shooting form outside the box and his finishing was lethal.
Gareth Bale scoring a last-minute winner against West Ham
Perhaps, the best example of this, came in the game against West Ham on February 25, 2013. It was a game which Tottenham had to win, if they were to harbor any hopes of finishing in the top four. And when Gareth Bale opened the scoring from outside the box with a crisp finish on 13 minutes, many thought that that was it. But nobody told Allardyce’s men that, and by the hour mark they had managed to take a 2-1 lead and things weren’t looking so good for Spurs. But, they somehow managed to equalize with about 15 minutes still to play.
And with the clock ticking down, it looked as though it was all over and that Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the top four was done and dusted. But that was precisely the moment in which Gareth Bale showed why he is one of the finest footballers around as, on the stroke of stoppage time, he smashed an unstoppable shot into the top right corner to snatch all three points for Spurs.
But, that was not the only occasion in which Bale acted as Tottenham’s saviour. There were plenty more of where that came from before the season came to a close. And when it finally did, the awards came pouring in for Bale. On the back of his sublime season with Spurs, Bale managed a hat-trick of PFA Young Player of the Year, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards. And just when it looked as though he couldn’t go any further, he did by moving to Madrid on a world record transfer fee.
For many players, getting accustomed to life at a new club might take some time, especially if that club is as steeped in history and talent as Real Madrid is. But Gareth Bale is not just another player, he is one that has been described by Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane as a unique and frightening player. He certainly gave his opponents a fright, as in his first home start of the season with Real Madrid Bale showed just why Real Madrid broke the bank to sign him.
Although he was hampered by injury at the start of his Madrid career, he was just fit enough to start his first home League match against Sevilla on October 30, 2013. And he took off right from the outset and finished the match with 2 goals, 2 assists and the man of the match award in a performance that was declared by AS as “Ten out of ten”. Whilst both his goals were with his left foot, his two assists were with his right. And he even had two more chances and could have very well have got a hat-trick on his first home start in La Liga.
Bale scoring the “perfect hat-trick” against Valladolid
And just a month later, Bale was at it again, as he became only the second British player to score a hat-trick in La Liga after Gary Lineker. It was not just any hat-trick, but the perfect one; as he scored one with his left foot, one with his right and another with his head. Messi has never managed that, Cristiano Ronaldo took 62 games to do it, but Bale had managed it in just 13 games. And that speaks volumes of the Welshman’s talent. In fact, he has already managed 7 goals and 6 assists in just 8 starts in the League.
And perhaps that is why, 2013 was Bale’s year. Because, although his pace, power and precision was something that was always inside him, this was the year in which the Welsh wizard made full use of that. And in doing so, he joined an illustrious company by not only becoming the world’s most expensive player, but by also joining the elite pantheon of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, as players who can turn a game in the blink of an eye.
